The Welsh Government has confirmed that full details of two key layers of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), the Optional and Collaborative actions, will not be available when the application window opens today.
In correspondence, officials said further detail would be published “in due course”, with applications for many of these actions not opening until later in the year. While some measures, such as organic maintenance and woodland creation, will proceed independently of SFS participation, significant elements of the scheme remain incomplete as farmers are being asked to apply.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Samuel Kurtz MS said:
“It is unacceptable that, as the Sustainable Farming Scheme application window opens, two of its key layers, Optional and Collaborative, are still not fully designed. After years of consultation, farmers are being asked to commit to a scheme where significant elements remain undefined or delayed until later in the year.
“Farm businesses cannot plan on the basis of “further detail in due course”. Decisions about land use, investment and cashflow require clarity from day one. This last-minute uncertainty reflects a clear lack of foresight from the Welsh Labour Government.
“Farmers were promised stability and certainty. Instead, they are being given ambiguity and a rolling timetable. That is not good enough for an industry that needs confidence, not confusion.”
ENDS
Note to editors:
Key elements of new Welsh farm support scheme incomplete
