Welsh farm leaders have expressed their support for the establishment of a new stakeholder group to assess the development of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). Following the announcement by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, about the creation of a Ministerial Roundtable, farm leaders welcomed this move. The new roundtable closely aligns with requests made by farm leaders during a meeting with the Welsh government in February.
These requests included regular SFS meetings prior to the publication of the final scheme design and payment rates, as well as additional work to be commissioned for reporting back to these meetings. Farm leaders also sought the establishment of a science panel to evaluate alternatives for the 10% tree cover requirement in the current scheme. The SFS, Wales’ post-Brexit farm support system, currently mandates a minimum 10% tree cover and 10% wildlife habitat on farmers’ land. However, a recent impact assessment revealed that the scheme could lead to a significant reduction of 122,000 livestock units, representing an 11% decline. This has prompted protests across Wales, with unions and organizations hosting numerous events and discussions. NFU Cymru President Aled Jones emphasized the importance of getting the SFS right to benefit farming families and the rural economy.
The Sustainable Farming Scheme must provide stability to support food production, maintain our farmed environment, strengthen communities, preserve our language and culture for current and future generations. As part of the roundtable’s initial tasks, alternative proposals to achieve additional carbon sequestration within the SFS will be examined, according to Mr. Irranca-Davies.
The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has welcomed this development due to the urgent need to evaluate the science behind net zero and carbon sequestration for the development of the SFS. FUW President Ian Rickman emphasized that this element should consider all actions farmers can undertake to progress towards net zero in a sustainable manner. He expressed the FUW’s readiness to collaborate closely with the Cabinet Secretary and his team to ensure the scheme is both economically viable and environmentally sound by the end of the year.
