The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) and the National Farmers’ Union of Wales (NFU Cymru) have both welcomed the creation of a stakeholder group focused on the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).
Welsh cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs, Huw Irranca Davies, said the group will be made up of farmers, representative organisations like unions and other stakeholders who have “an interest in achieving a sustainable agricultural industry in Wales”.
Irranca Davies will chair the group, which will review the key programme outputs and critical steps leading to the development of a revised scheme, in advance of a final decision by Welsh ministers.
NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said the SFS must be gotten right, as neither farming families nor the government can afford to have a scheme that fails to deliver on ambitions for the rural economy, food, nature and climate.
“The scheme must work for all farmers – that’s all farm types, sectors and regions, as well as tenant farmers and for those with common land,” he said.
“The scheme must deliver stability to underpin food production, our farmed environment, our communities, our language and culture for our generation and those that follow in our footsteps.
“I would urge all those that may be involved in the work that the cabinet secretary is establishing to take their responsibilities seriously and recognise that the livelihoods of many thousands of farming families will depend on the work undertaken, advice given and decisions ultimately made by the cabinet secretary.”
FUW president Ian Rickman agreed, and warned that the SFS “needs far more than touching up around the edges”.
“It needs a radical rethink and this group must now deliver meaningful change within the timeframe presented to us,” he said.
Carbon sequestration
Jones said he was pleased that the cabinet secretary has agreed to establish a group that will consider alternative proposals to achieve additional carbon sequestration.
Irranca Davies said this will be one of the first tasks of the SFS ministerial roundtable, stating that farming unions and other stakeholders believe the scheme should look beyond the existing actions, such as additional tree planting.
Jones said mandating 10% tree cover has come across as a “clear insurmountable barrier” for many to access the SFS.
“I’m therefore pleased that the cabinet secretary has agreed to establish a group that will, amongst other things, consider alternative proposals to achieve additional carbon sequestration within the new scheme.
“We have world class scientists on our doorstop, we need to make use of their expertise and knowledge of Welsh farming systems, our soils, our grasslands, cropping and field boundaries to provide us with alternatives whilst maintaining our productive capacity.
“The level of concern, worry and frustration in the farming community over future farm support remains palpable. NFU Cymru is committed to working with the cabinet secretary and all those who care about Welsh farming to get this right.”
FUW president Rickman said proposal to look at alternative proposals to achieve additional carbon sequestration is a welcome one, given the “urgent need to evaluate the science around net zero and carbon sequestration to help develop the SFS”.
“This element needs to take into account all actions farmers can undertake to make progress towards net zero in a sustainable way.” he said.
“The engagement we’ve had as a union with the cabinet secretary and his officials to date has been positive and this statement reflects those discussions.
“The FUW is ready to burn the midnight oil to ensure we get to the right place before the end of the year, in order that this scheme is workable both economically and environmentally.”
