CAERFYRDDIN MP says multi-year settlement will help farms plan ahead, but farming organisations have warned that payment rates, bureaucracy and the unfinished elements of the Sustainable Farming Scheme remain crucial

ANN DAVIES MP has welcomed a Welsh Government commitment to maintain agricultural support at £340 million a year until March 2030, saying it will provide farmers with greater certainty during a period of rising costs and significant change.

The funding will support the Sustainable Farming Scheme, which began replacing the European Union-era system of agricultural payments in Wales this year.

The three-year commitment amounts to just over £1 billion, although it is a guarantee of continued annual funding rather than an additional £1 billion being made available immediately.

Under the settlement, £238 million a year will be allocated to the Universal Layer of the scheme, which provides payments to farms completing a series of required actions.

A further £102 million annually will support Optional and Collaborative actions, including more ambitious environmental work, productivity improvements and projects involving groups of farmers.

The commitment was announced by Welsh Government Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability Llŷr Gruffydd at the Royal Welsh Show on July 20. It replaces the recent practice of confirming the agricultural budget one year at a time.

Ms Davies, who represents the rural constituency of Caerfyrddin and has a farming background, said the settlement would allow agricultural businesses to make decisions over a longer period.

She said: “As someone who has spent my life in the sector, I know that farmers do not work to annual timelines. Decisions made today often will not bear fruit for several years.

“Farming is built on long-term thinking and, for the first time in many years, Welsh farmers have greater certainty about what support will be available in the years ahead.

“That gives businesses the confidence to invest, innovate and plan for the future. This investment will strengthen family farms, support food production and help rural communities prosper for years to come.”

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has also welcomed the move, having repeatedly called for a multi-year agricultural budget.

FUW president Ian Rickman said the commitment provided “much-needed stability” following years in which annual settlements had made long-term investment and financial planning increasingly difficult for family farms. The union had previously sought a five-year funding framework, although it accepted that certainty until March 2030 represented a significant improvement.

NFU Cymru described the announcement as a “major boost” and welcomed the decision to retain the current 70:30 division between the Universal and Optional and Collaborative parts of the scheme.

However, the union has previously argued that an annual agricultural budget of more than £500 million is required to meet the farming sector’s economic, environmental and food production ambitions.

It has also warned that the administration, costs and record-keeping requirements associated with parts of the Sustainable Farming Scheme are considerably greater than under previous support arrangements. Detailed payment rates and technical guidance for some Optional and Collaborative measures will therefore remain important to farmers deciding whether particular actions are financially viable.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has similarly warned that the scheme asks participating farms to deliver additional environmental and social outcomes, meaning the overall value of the budget must be considered alongside the costs of complying with its requirements.

Earlier union evidence also highlighted reductions made to rural affairs spending during previous budget years and argued that maintaining the current total does not necessarily represent an increase in support once inflation and additional scheme requirements are taken into account.

Welsh Conservatives have called for a further £100 million to be added to the agricultural budget over the next four years. They argue that additional support is needed to strengthen domestic food production and help farmers respond to economic and environmental pressures.

Ms Davies said the importance of agriculture extended beyond individual farm businesses.

She said: “Farming is woven into the fabric of our communities in Wales, supporting thousands of jobs, sustaining family businesses and helping to maintain the Welsh language and culture that are such a vital part of our identity.

“These are facts commonly ignored in Westminster, but at last we have a Welsh Government that understands the sector’s all-round importance.”

The Welsh Government has also commissioned a nine-month review of the administrative burden facing farmers, led by former NFU Cymru president and Breconshire farmer John Davies.

Initial changes include plans to align the Animal Health Improvement Cycle required under the Sustainable Farming Scheme with participating farm assurance schemes. Ministers say this could allow farmers to meet both sets of requirements through one form and one veterinary visit from 2027.

Ms Davies added: “The Welsh Government is taking action to put the sector on a more stable footing while also reviewing the bureaucratic burden placed on farmers.

“The funding certainty is an important step, but it must now be accompanied by a scheme that is practical, accessible and capable of supporting productive family farms.”

The longer-term success of the settlement is likely to depend on the final payment rates, the accessibility of Optional and Collaborative funding and whether ministers respond quickly if the scheme is shown to disadvantage particular types of farm or regions of Wales.

BRIAN DAVIES has received the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society’s highest honour after dedicating almost six decades to supporting one of the UK’s oldest agricultural shows

Mr Davies, from Garthbrengy in Brecknock, was named the winner of the 2026 Sir Bryner Jones Memorial Award during the Royal Welsh Show awards ceremony on Monday, July 20.

The prestigious annual award recognises individuals who have achieved the highest standards within their chosen area of the agricultural industry.

This year, the award focused on people who have made an outstanding contribution to the success of a local or regional agricultural show in Wales.

Mr Davies has given 59 years of service to the Brecknock Agricultural Society and has played a major role in sustaining and developing the Brecon County Show.

Having served as chairman, vice-chairman and president, he has worked to encourage young people and local families to become involved in the event, helping to secure its future for generations to come.

Judges Harry Fetherstonhaugh OBE and Susan Jones said the decision had been unanimous.

They said: “The winner exemplifies the very highest standards of leadership, commitment and dedication, leaving a lasting legacy that will benefit the show for years to come. A truly deserving recipient of this award.

“Brian’s contribution ensures Brecon County Show remains relevant, inclusive and capable of evolving in a changing world and changing agricultural landscape.

“His understanding of how the event works, together with his unwavering commitment to its volunteers and his ability to inspire the next generation, is most impressive and will help ensure the long-term future of the show.”

Mr Davies received the Sir Bryner Jones Memorial Trophy, medal and certificate from RWAS president Gethin Havard.

Gareth Roberts, a member of the RWAS board of directors, sponsored the winner’s medal.

The other shortlisted finalists were Edward Morris, from Pembrokeshire, and Enid Williams, from Anglesey.

The award commemorates Sir Bryner Jones, one of the most influential figures in the history of Welsh agriculture and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.

He helped shape the direction of the society for more than 50 years, serving as honorary show director from 1908 to 1910, chairman of the council from 1944 to 1953 and president during the society’s 50th anniversary year in 1954.

Sir Bryner was head of the Department of Agriculture at Aberystwyth College and became one of Wales’ leading figures in agricultural education.

He later served as commissioner and chairman of the Agricultural Council for Wales before becoming Welsh Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture.

He was knighted in 1947, with the memorial award first presented in 1957.

Picture caption: Brian Davies, second from left, receives the Sir Bryner Jones Memorial Trophy, medal and certificate from RWAS president Gethin Havard, watched by Ann Davies and award sponsor Gareth Roberts.

A CALL for a two-year period of grace to test a previously-refused Pembrokeshire dog exercise area has again been turned down by planners.

In a resubmitted application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park after a 2025 refusal, Lawson and Penny Owen, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, sought retrospective permission for a farm diversification scheme for a dog exercise area with a small hardstanding area for parking on land near Williamston Farm, Long Lane, Broad Haven, near Haverfordwest.

The previously-refused scheme sought a permanent seasonal exercise area, the latest application seeking a temporary two-year year-round option so that the impact of dog exercise on agricultural land could be fully assessed.

That application was refused on the grounds it was not considered to be sited in a sustainable location which will assist in removing the need for private motor vehicle trip generation, and the potential impact on neighbours.

Local community council The Havens again objected to the latest application, objections including it too close to neighbouring residential properties resulting in unacceptable noise impacts, is incompatible with the adjoining agricultural use, and is located adjacent to a cycle route.

A supporting statement said: “It is clear that, whilst the whole of the field has been operating as a dog exercise area for the past two years, staff in Public Protection have not received any complaints in respect of noise or any other form of objection. As a result of additional information gained from [the previous application], this re-submission sets out to explore a suggested temporary two-year option so that the impact of dog exercise on agricultural land can be fully assessed.”

It said the applicants, who have some 400 acres spread across four farms in the Broad Haven/Nolton area have had a need to diversify, with previous activities including holiday lets, a weddings/summer cinema show venue, and a submitted planning application for nine holiday units.

It said the non-framing activities amounted to under a third of the applicants’ income, the dog exercise operation now foreseen to be some five per cent of income, at up to £20,000 per year.

An officer report recommending refusal said that, as with previous application, objections had been received; concerns including it being in an unsustainable countryside location, noise and disturbance to neighbouring residential properties, disturbance to grazing livestock, and concerns the proposal relies entirely on private motor vehicle journeys and conflicts with sustainable transport objectives.

The report said that while many planning matters could be addressed, they didn’t outweigh the principal policy objections that it had not been demonstrated the particular location was needed or it accords with the sustainable transport objectives [of planning policy], representing “an unsustainable form of development within the open countryside”.

It also said officers were of the view “that the proximity of the commercial dog exercise area to neighbouring residential properties would give rise to an unacceptable impact upon residential amenity through noise and associated activity”.

It concluded: “The proposed temporary two-year permission does not overcome these fundamental planning objections. The use has already operated for a significant period, enabling the Authority to assess the proposal on its planning merits, and a temporary consent would not resolve the inherent conflict with the adopted Development Plan.”

The resubmitted application was refused on the grounds highlighted in the officer report.