Janet Finch-Saunders, Member for of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy is concerned about the lack of clarity in the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) announcement.
The scheme is still being developed. It is not expected to be finalised until the autumn, despite it being expected to go live on 1st January 2026.
Farmers believe they won’t have time to plan for the changes.
The removal of stiles on footpaths could open up farms to the risk of damage from illegal scramble biking, causing additional issues to farmers on top of the worries SFS scheme is causing to farmers.
The Welsh Government have slashed the Basic Payment Scheme by 40% despite promising they would only cut it by 20% in the first year. This is worrying for farmers who are apprehensive about joining the scheme.
Commenting, Janet said:
“It is unacceptable that farmers in Aberconwy are continuing to face such uncertainty.
“Despite the Welsh Labour Government promising this scheme would benefit our farmers, they have been left having to rush through potentially lifechanging alterations.
“The 40% reduction in the BPS payment is outrageous, as is the fact that over 42,000 acres of farmland, the equivalent of the quarter of Ynys Môn, will be planted with trees by 2028.
“To expect farmers to be moving over to the new scheme as early as January 2026 when details are still missing just highlights how out of touch the Welsh Labour Government is with the reality of family farms. I will continue to call for a scheme that champions active farmers in Wales”.
ENDS
