You can’t please all of the people all of the time. When it comes to farming, the Welsh Government has spent an inordinate amount of time and effort trying to find a way forward that pastes over the shortfalls created by Brexit and sets a new path forward.
Last week, Cardiff Bay published the final version of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). Listening to critics, you would think the SFS plan is unworkable and not worth the paper it’s written on - only fit for the slurry pit.
But the Farmers’ Union of Wales says the new SFS marks a generational milestone for Welsh agriculture.
Either way, it’s about time Welsh farmers had clarity moving forward. For too long too many have had too much to say about the sector, leaving those who work our lands and herds baffled and revved up like a vintage Massey Ferguson running rich red diesel.
Maybe this publication is naive, but if the FUW is happy with the deal - and it brings and end to farming protests - then maybe it’s a good day’s work.
The SFS will replace the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) that is being phased out over the coming years. It is structured around the principle of universal, optional and collaborative layers, providing both a level of universal consistency for all farm businesses and an opportunity to do more if they wish.
That seems reasonable.
Since the uncertainty created for farmers by Brexit, their union officials have been trying to hammer out a deal that was fair and treated farmers with respect.
The FUW says the SFS represents this prolonged period of negotiation, marking a generational milestone for the future of Welsh agriculture. It sets out the payment rates for 2026 and exactly what farmers will be required to do and the evidence they will be required to provide and/or retain if they enter the scheme down the road.
But the plan isn’t perfect. Would one ever be? Good compromise always leaves some negatives. The plan to make farmers give up 10 per cent of land for habitat purposes remains, but the rules are less stringent.
Overall, it’s a good day’s work.
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