“I welcome the initial statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs this morning on 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, and not against them, and safeguards the future of the industry.”
