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Sustainable Farming Scheme: NFFN Cymru responds to latest announcement

Wales
Policy & Views
Government
policy
Sustainable Farming Scheme

While we broadly welcome what the Welsh Government has unveiled, more still needs to be done to ensure support for nature-friendly farming is ambitious enough.

NFFN Cymru has given a cautious welcome to the Welsh Government’s latest announcement on the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).

More details of the scheme, which will support Welsh farmers, were announced by Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies on Tuesday (15 July).

We believe the SFS’ Universal layer, which should provide payments to almost all farmers in Wales, sets a good benchmark for improving farm sustainability and resilience. We also welcome the retention of the requirement for farmers to manage 10% of their land as habitat alongside food production, which has proved controversial within the wider agricultural sector but which could boost farm viability in the face of extreme weather.

However, we are concerned that ministers are yet to set out details of the more ambitious Optional and Collaborative layers of the scheme, which will be vital to support farmers already working with nature and to reverse biodiversity loss across Wales.

NFFN Cymru manager Rhys Evans said: “This latest SFS announcement is broadly a step in the right direction from the Welsh Government. It is vital that nature-friendly farming is seen not as a burden on the taxpayer but as a sound investment for the future of food production and nature in Wales.

“We have been campaigning for the 10% habitat requirement for some time, so we are pleased it has been retained. This is an important recognition of how habitats can be integrated into farm landscapes and benefit both farm businesses and nature. It is also good news that the Universal actions should improve hedgerow management, animal welfare and soil health on farms across Wales.

Many nature-friendly farmers are already doing more than is required by the Universal layer and will need the Optional and Collaborative layers to support their trailblazing work. Otherwise, there is a real danger the SFS will give farmers who are already doing the most for nature the least reward.

Rhys Evans

“However, we are concerned by the lack of detail that has been published about the Optional and Collaborative layers. If we are serious about tackling nature’s decline in Wales, these layers must be ambitious and properly funded. Supporting existing good practice in the sector is just as important as helping farmers transition to nature-friendly ways of working.

“Many nature-friendly farmers are already doing more than is required by the Universal layer and will need the Optional and Collaborative layers to support their trailblazing work. Otherwise, there is a real danger the SFS will give farmers who are already doing the most for nature, the least reward.”

Payment rates need to be high enough to ensure farmers join the SFS, so it is concerning that some SFS habitat payment rates are considerably lower than those in older agri-environment schemes. Ensuring farmers are adequately rewarded through the other layers of the scheme and beginning to roll these out quickly would help to allay nature-friendly farmers’ concerns.

NFFN Cymru vice-chair Tony Davies, who farms in the Elan Valley, said: “I’m pleased that habitat payments under the SFS Universal layer won't be subject to the same severe capping structure we saw under the interim Habitat Wales Scheme. As someone with a significant amount of diverse habitats on my farm, that’s important for me. The maintenance payments for existing woodlands are also a positive step that will help secure their long-term protection. I now encourage the Welsh Government to push ahead with the Optional and Collaborative layers to support nature-friendly farming further.”

Rhys added: “Nature-friendly farming can produce high-quality food, tackle the climate and nature crises, lessen the impact of flooding, boost wellbeing by providing access to nature-rich spaces and safeguard the future of Wales’ rural communities and Welsh language strongholds. With the impact of climate change really being felt on Wales’ farms, the time to act is now.”

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