The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed an announcement from the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs outlining his plans to create a Ministerial Roundtable which will consider the evidence and lead on the development of a revised Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).
In response to the statement, one of the FUW’s key asks following the consultation was to establish a small focussed SFS design stakeholder group tasked with considering details of different elements of the scheme, along with payment rates and overall budgetary requirements.
The FUW therefore welcome today's announcement which outlines plans to establish such a group, providing us with a formal platform to scrutinise and rework the scheme so that it properly delivers for Welsh farmers and our rural communities.
However, the FUW reiterates this message again; the scheme 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.
The Cabinet Secretary’s statement also highlights how one of the first tasks of the Ministerial Roundtable will be to look at any further and alternative proposals to achieve additional carbon sequestration within the SFS.
This development is also welcomed 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.
The engagement the FUW has 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.