Welsh Government forced to postpone eco-scheme after farmers protest
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A scheme that would force farmers to dedicate 20 per cent of their land to eco measures has been postponed by the Welsh Government after significant backlash.
The Sustainable Farming Scheme was due to come in next year, replacing EU-era direct subsidies to Welsh farmers.
But requirements for farmers to dedicate a fifth of their land to woodland and wildlife habitat had prompted a backlash from the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Welsh branch and brought farmers out on the streets to protest.
On Tuesday, Rural Affairs Secretary Huw Irranca-Davies said the transition to the new scheme would not begin until 2026, after a consultation that ended in March. He said the decision had been made after “meaningful engagement with the farming sector”.
“We have always said the scheme would not be introduced until it is ready and I stand by that,” Mr Irranca-Davies said.
Further decisions will be made about how the older direct subsidies will be tailed off after 2025.
Abi Reader, the deputy president of NFU Cymru, said the move was welcome and had been inevitable given the scale of protests and opposition to the scheme.
“We have always said let’s not rush into this because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get this right,” she said. “A pause is a really good move and offers some stability to farming businesses.”
She added that the scheme was likely to need a “major overhaul to get people’s trust back”.
“The sums weren’t going to add up in terms of what they were asking us to do,” Ms Reader said.
Farming groups had expressed concern about job losses and income reductions as a result of the scheme.
A Welsh Government analysis found it could lead to a reduction in working hours equivalent to 5,500 rural jobs, as well as a £200 million reduction in farming income.
The proposals brought 100s of farmers to protest outside the Senedd in February, following smaller protests across Wales.
The NFU has called for the scheme to be reformed, saying it threatened “our members and their children their farming futures”.
But Wildlife Trusts Wales said the delay to the scheme was bad news for farmers, nature and climate.
“The decision to delay the scheme simply prolongs the uncertainty at a time when farmers need to be rewarded for switching to sustainable farming methods which will benefit their businesses in the future,” Rachel Sharp, director of Wildlife Trusts Wales, said.
It added that most Welsh farms already have 6 per cent tree cover and woodland areas do not have to come out of production because they can be used for animals to graze.
