The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has welcomed a range of emergency measures announced by the Welsh Government in relation to the Basic Payment and Glastir Schemes.
In line with the FUW’s calls, Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths announced today (April 1) that the deadline by which Single Application Forms must be submitted had been extended by a month, to the 15th of June.
In response to concerns raised about Crop Diversification requirements following the recent flooding and the added pressure and uncertainties caused by the coronavirus pandemic she also confirmed the requirements had been withdrawn completely for the 2020 Basic Payment scheme year.
An additional £5.5m in loan support has also been allocated to support farmers who have yet to receive their 2019 BPS and/or Glastir payments.
Responding to the announcement, and a letter from the Minister thanking the farming unions and their staff and members for their work in ensuring the continuation of the food supply chain, FUW President Glyn Roberts said:
“We have been lobbying for these changes and interventions for some weeks now, so we welcome the Welsh Government's decision to implement them.
“We are in daily discussions with Welsh Government about other changes that may need to be introduced to ensure our industry and family farms remain viable and can continue to produce food both in the short and long term."
Mr Roberts said that the union had also recently been in positive discussions with Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart, during which a range of concerns were raised.