'Alarm bells' sounded over revamp to farming scheme

SENEDD members criticised the lack of an economic impact assessment and long-term certainty after the Welsh Government unveiled revised financial support for farmers.

- By CHRIS HAINES ICNN Senedd Reporter

Samuel Kurtz, the Conservative shadow rural affairs secretary, warned of broken trust over the heavily criticised and protest-plagued sustainable farming scheme (SFS).

Pointing to a poll showing only 3% of farmers trust Labour Welsh ministers, he said the industry waited more than seven years for clarity on replacements for EU subsidies.

Mr Kurtz, who is from a farming family, criticised plans to cut the basic payment scheme (BPS) by 40% for those who choose not to sign up to the SFS.

He said: "This reflects what would have happened had the SFS launched in 2025 but it didn't launch... so, now farmers are being punished for that failure."

Warning of a cliff-edge overshadowing the scheme, Mr Kurtz expressed concerns about the total £340m budget which would be worth closer to £500m if it had increased with inflation.

He suggested the revised SFS prioritises tree planting over food security.

The Tory concluded: "You could promise the finest scheme in the world but if the economic impact assessment shows it leads to job losses, livestock cuts and falling incomes then farmers will rightly reject it as they did before.

"What's deeply troubling is that no economic assessment has been published alongside this announcement today... without it, you're asking farmers to take a blind leap of faith."

Huw Irranca-Davies, Wales' deputy first minister, replied: "We've analysed the potential impacts of the scheme and that has helped us make the decisions that we've come to.