- £340 million per year guaranteed for three years to March
2030 to support the Sustainable Farming Scheme
- Funding commitment delivered within first 100 days of the new
Government
Welsh farmers will receive over £1 billion in funding across this
Senedd term to support sustainable agriculture, giving the sector
the long-term certainty needed to plan and invest with
confidence.
Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, , made the announcement at the
Royal Welsh Show his first as the Minister for Rural Resilience
and Sustainability. The commitment delivers £340 million per year
for three years to March 2030 for the Sustainable Farming Scheme,
including a guaranteed £238 million per year for the Universal
layer and £102 million for delivering the Optional and
Collaborative Layers.
The move ends the year-to-year funding model that has made
long-term planning difficult for farming businesses. It fulfils a
pledge made in the Plaid Cymru Government's first 100 days to
provide a multi-annual budget for the Sustainable Farming
Scheme.
The Minister, said: "Giving farmers only 12 months' line of sight
to funding is not sufficient. We know how hard it is to plan and
make business decisions without knowing what funding is coming.
Farmers told us loud and clear they need certainty and stability
and that is exactly what we are delivering."
Following early feedback from the independent review into the
bureaucratic burden on family farms, led by , the Minister also announced
early action to cut red tape for farmers.
The Welsh Government has announced a simplification of the
approach for the Animal Health Improvement Cycle (AHIC) in the
Universal Layer of the Sustainable Farming
Scheme.
The simplification will be delivered in two parts. The Welsh
Government will work with any interested farm assurance scheme to
ensure requirements are aligned, meaning farmers in those schemes
will only need to complete one form from 2027 delivering two
outcomes from a single vet visit: farm assurance and SFS
compliance.
At the heart of our approach remains the close working
relationship between farmers and their vets to achieve positive
outcomes.
The Minister also announced that the roll out of some Optional
Actions and that the new window of the Integrated Natural
Resources Scheme will open later in the year, a key element
feeding into the Collaborative Layer.
The Minister concluded: The family farm sits at the heart of
rural Wales its economy and its communities. I am committed to
working to ensure farming in Wales thrives for generations to
come.
"My message to farmers from day one has been you have a Minister
on your side. Someone that's in tune with the agricultural
sector, who knows that the family farm is the foundation of our
rural economy and our rural communities, and who will work every
day to make sure farming in Wales thrives for generations to
come."
Notes to editors
AHIC
Recognising that 2026 is a transition year, compliance with farm
assurance schemes that have committed to align by 2027 will be
accepted as meeting the AHIC requirements in 2026.
Optional Actions
From the end of this month, we will be opening applications for
Organic Conversion. We will also be opening applications for our
Capital: Production and Efficiency' category with capital grants
available towards the costs of livestock handling facilities,
equipment for precision management of soil and crops, and many
other items designed to reduce waste and improve efficiency on
farm. Other categories will be rolled out over coming
months.
The Small Woodland Creation Grant and Woodland Creation Grant
windows will open from 20 July
