Government expenditure for the rural affairs department of the Welsh government is set to increase incrementally over the next three years.
Welsh government Finance Minister Rebecca Evans today (Monday, December 20) announced a three-year draft budget to “support the Wales of today and shape the Wales of tomorrow”.
In it, for the next year (2022-2023), Minister Evans proposes using £393,162 of resources for the Rural Affairs department.
This increases to a suggested £456,162 in 2023-2024 and £477,962 in 2024-2025.
However, the suggested accruing resources allocated are expected to deplete year on year (£93,691, £30,871 and £3,880 respectively).
Included in the proposal details, Minister Evans notes that the spending will “underpin our commitment to net zero Wales and to create a new system of farm support that will maximise the protective power of nature through farming, recognising the particular needs of family farms in Wales and acknowledging ecologically sustainable local food production through funding a series of pilots andp projects preparing farmers for entry into the new Sustainable Farming Scheme”.
This will be supported by an £18 million capital investment to facilitate a Rural Payment Wales change programme, and enhancements to the IT system.
There will also be an additional £5 million in revenue support given to the TB Eradication Programme.
Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government, said:
This budget will support the Wales of today and shape the Wales of tomorrow. It will support our public services to be stronger, put Wales further down the path to being a net zero nation, and create a fairer nation with equality at its heart.”
Following scrutiny of these plans by Senedd Cymru, the government will publish the final Budget 2022-23 on March 1, 2022.
