First Minister, Mark Drakeford MS
Lesley Griffiths MS, Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd
Farming – and agriculture more widely – plays an important role in Welsh life. It is part of our economy, identity and culture.
The Welsh Government is committed to supporting a successful future for Welsh farming. We want to keep Welsh farmers farming, as we tackle the climate and nature emergency.
The sector is facing significant challenges as a result of persistently high inflation and energy costs, global instability, high input costs and volatile farmgate prices together with substantial change in the industry.
We continue to listen carefully to the concerns expressed by farmers and farming unions, including about some of the Welsh Government’s policies. We can today (27 February 2024) confirm the following action to support the sector:
- Bovine TB and on-farm slaughter: We are appointing a Bovine TB Technical Advisory Group, as previously announced in November. Its first priority will be to look at the current on-farm slaughter policy and provide advice to Ministers, as a matter of urgency.
- The Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations: We are making £20 million of additional funding available to help farmers comply with the requirements and we will be launching a new round of the Nutrient Management Investment Scheme shortly.
- Sustainable Farming Scheme: We have been working in partnership with farmers over the last seven years to design the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) – a new form of made-in-Wales farming support to secure food production and the environmental improvements Wales needs to keep farmers on their land for generations to come as the climate changes.
The SFS will help us to meet the commitments we have made to everyone in Wales, securing a stronger and greener future for us all and ensuring public benefits from sustainable farming in return for public money. The current SFS consultation will close on 7 March 2024.
For further information please select the following link: Written Statement: Farming in Wales (27 February 2024) | GOV.WALES