A new sustainable future for farming

Wildlife Trusts Wales welcomes the further opportunity to input into the proposals for the new Welsh Governments Sustainable Farming Scheme. The Scheme seeks to pay farmers for the provision of public goods such as carbon and water storage. It will also assist in making farms more financially stable and defines a clear future for farming in Wales.

Rachel Sharp, the Director of Wildlife Trusts Wales, welcomes the proposals in the consultation.

“The Scheme will provide a real win-win both for farmers but also for taxpayers. For the first time, we will see farmers recognised for their critical role in addressing both the climate and nature crisis. The Scheme will help put nature back into our landscapes, such as peat bogs being restored to store carbon and help alleviate flooding. Farmers’ incomes will be supported whilst communities benefit from access to the countryside and cleaner air and water.

“Ensuring that the natural world is put into recovery on farmland is to invest in the future of farming in Wales. The restoration of nature, which is a key objective of this Scheme, will enable the sustainable production of food whilst recovering ecosystems and wildlife on Welsh farms to assist them in adapting to climate change.”

Tim Birch, Senior Policy and Advocacy Manager with Wildlife Trusts Wales, sees this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity

“With about 80% of Wales being farmland, the Sustainable Farming Scheme will have a critical role to play in addressing the Climate and Nature crisis. Wales is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with one in six species in Wales at risk of extinction. The proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme represents a historic opportunity to ensure that farmers can produce food sustainably whilst protecting and restoring nature.”

“The Welsh Government is committed to ensuring 30% of Wales is effectively managed for nature by 2030. We believe that a target of 10% of farmland to be managed for nature, which all farms will have to adopt when they join the Scheme, is a good start. But we also hope that farmers across Wales will go beyond this by working with their neighbours to restore wildlife habitats at a larger scale to multiple benefits for Welsh communities. We also hope that the adoption of this Scheme by farmers will play a significant role in addressing the serious problems of river pollution arising from agricultural pollution across Wales.”

Wildlife Trusts Wales looks forward to working with the Welsh Government and the farming community to ensure that the Sustainable Farming Scheme is a success both for farmers and nature across Wales.