James Evans MS has welcomed the Welsh Government’s decision to pause implementation of the Sustainable Farming Scheme.
Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs Huw Irranca-Davies MS announced yesterday that the SFS would not come into force until 2026, with the Basic Payment Scheme also continuing into 2025 to give farmers more financial stability.
James has consistently called for a pause in the Sustainable Farming Scheme to ensure that the Welsh Government get the scheme right and ensure it works for everyone in the agricultural industry across Wales.
James Evans MS, Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, said:
“I welcome the announcement from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs on the pausing of the implementation of the Sustainable Farming Scheme. It is encouraging that he has listened to the concerns I have raised with him on the future of farming support in Wales.
“It’s a positive step to see that the Minister has listened to the industry, the unions, and all those thousands of people who responded to the consultation by delaying the implementation of the SFS and committing to rolling forward BPS until 2025.
“However, what we need to see is real change to SFS in its current form. The farmers I speak to have major concerns about tree planting, common land, tenant farmers, and we need to have more detail from the cabinet secretary over amendments he is going to make to the scheme to make sure we have something that works for our farmers, not against them, and safeguards the future of the industry.”
