Deputy FM’s firm response when asked about support for farmers not in Sustainable Farming Scheme
Deputy FM’s firm response when asked about support for farmers not in Sustainable Farming Scheme
Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter for FREE here.
Wales’ Deputy First Minister, and the Cabinet Secretary in charge of the agriculture brief, gave a firm response when asked by Businessin Wales if farmers who choose not to sign up for the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) will be offered more support.
Current proposals will see farmers who choose not to sign up to the SFS receive 60% of the funding they get under the current Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), with support tapering off year by year.
NFU Cymru welcomed many of the changes to the scheme but said the government’s decision to slash BPS support in the first year of transition “overshadows” progress and could leave many farmers “between a rock and a hard place.”
Speaking at the Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd, Huw Irranca-Davies said: “It’s not a cliff edge but it is a faster taper than the 20% per year.
“But the 20% per year was due to come in last year if we had launched the scheme, so we’re one of year further on, so actually the 40% represents we are a year further on already,
“But there is other reason behind that as well: of course, we want to encourage people to get away from the old legacy scheme, because that’s not what it is, of the post EU BPS scheme and to come into the SFS, the sustainable farming scheme.
“The 40% is designed to encourage that more rapid uptake but it also then releases more money that can come back into the SFS. So, if more people join early, we’re trying to make the right carrots there as well, and incentives that then releases more money into the SFS scheme.
“I appreciate for some it’s a little bit sharper than I expected, but it’s definitely not a cliff edge and it still then phases out over a couple of years afterwards. But I want people to join the scheme, that’s why I’ve set it at 40% and it’s also because we’re 12 months further on down the line than originally was envisaged.”
When pressed further on whether he would be open to further changes to the funding for farmers who don’t sign up to the SFS, the Deputy FM said:
“No. Absolutely not. That’s a fundamental part of the scheme now and it’s based on the balance of decisions we’ve made on different elements of the scheme.”
Shadow Rural Affairs Secretary Samuel Kurtz MS criticised the lack of transparency and questioned the scheme’s legitimacy without a Senedd vote or accompanying economic analysis.
“We are still in the dark about the real-world consequences of Labour’s scheme,” said Kurtz.
Plaid Cymru’s Llyr Gruffydd MS acknowledged that the final scheme is a “clear improvement” and praised the role of industry engagement. However, he called for multi-annual funding commitments beyond 2026 and urged clarity on long-promised elements like social value payments and budget allocations across the scheme tiers.
“A one-year pledge is simply not enough… farmers need longer-term certainty,” Gruffydd said.
Want more from Businessin Wales? Why not follow us on our socials
Listen to the Businessin Wales podcast
