Senedd Member Paul Davies has made it clear that significant changes are needed to the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme to work in a recent Senedd debate. Mr Davies held a debate on the Senedd’s Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee’s reports on the Sustainable Farming Scheme and Farming Connect and he stressed that any future agricultural scheme must have payment methodologies that are attractive to farmers and must be open and accessible to all. Mr Davies also encouraged the Welsh Government to use the Farming Connect programme to better communicate with Welsh farmers.
Mr Davies said, “There’s no underestimating just how important the Sustainable Farming Scheme will be for Welsh farmers – and it’s important that the Welsh Government gets this policy right. The Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee, which I chair, has drawn up a series of recommendations to help drive improvements and improve the scheme for the better.”
“Members from all parties contributed to the debate and I hope the Welsh Government will take onboard our valid concerns. We all understand the need to tackle the climate and nature emergencies, and we accept that farming must play a role in that. However, a balance must be struck in order to protect the future of the farming industry and food production too.”
He added, “The debate also gave Members the opportunity to discuss the Farming Connect programme and how that can help farmers transition to the Sustainable Farming Scheme. The Welsh Government has promised to come forward with further updates on its work in these areas and I look forward to scrutinising those updates in due course.”
You can watch the debate proceedings here - https://www.senedd.tv/Meeting/Archive/4a98e93e-84ee-46f0-94d9-e72c7e1befb4?startPos=12708&autostart=True
