Farming

Unions say Welsh Government’s farming plan needs more work

Published

2 years ago

July 14, 2023

AFTER the Senedd passed the Welsh Government’s Agriculture Bill, Wales’s Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths, gave the Senedd an outline of its new Sustainable Farming Scheme on Tuesday, July 12.
The Welsh Government devised the Agriculture Bill to guide how farming and agriculture will be managed in Wales. It will affect the food we eat, the environment, and farmers’ livelihoods.
The program encourages farmers to commit to reducing their carbon footprint, enhancing biodiversity, and supporting natural ecosystems. In exchange, farmers will qualify for financial assistance to offset the costs of implementing these practices.
By incentivizing farmers to adopt sustainable practices, the Welsh Government claims it will enable them to contribute to the long-term stability and sustainability of farms nationwide.
However, the Bill and the Scheme at its heart face challenges and dissent.
The focus on sustainable farming practices will force radical change on farmers. For example, they might need to decrease the use of certain pesticides or fertilizers. While this is likely positive for the land’s long-term health, it will decrease agricultural productivity. This could potentially impact the availability and variety of food produced in Wales.
The Bill’s social and cultural effects on farming communities could also be wide-reaching. Certain types of farming might become less economically viable. If that happens, adverse impacts on the Welsh language and harm to the rural economy and culture are all but inevitable.
The Sustainable Farming Scheme is a “carrot and stick” approach that Ministers hope will help achieve the Agriculture Bill’s broader priorities.
On its face, it aims to support farmers who prioritize sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices on their land.
A key element of the scheme is promoting tree planting. The Welsh Government wants all farmers who get payments from the SFS to use a minimum of 10% for tree planting.
On Tuesday, Lesley Griffiths acknowledged that NEWSsome flexibility would be required about the much-talked-about 10% tree cover requirement, stating that areas unsuitable for tree planting and being considered for exclusion from the total area used to calculate the 10% include existing inappropriate semi-natural habitats, including designated sites, deep peat; unplantable features such as scree and rock outcrops and tenanted land where tenants do not have the authority to plant trees.
However, the 10% tree-planting aim remains part of the scheme’s universal application.
Although farmers generally support the SFS’s aims, it regards the tree-planting element as unachievable, unsustainable, and unrealistic. The plan fails to account for the differing nature of Welsh landscapes, commercial reality and the conditions farmers experience.
NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said: “NFU Cymru remains supportive of Welsh Government’s overarching framework for the SFS arranged around universal, optional and collaborative tiers. Farmers will receive a baseline payment for carrying out universal actions. We are also clear that more work is needed on the universal actions to ensure they work for all active farmers in Wales, irrespective of location, sector and land tenure.
“NFU Cymru is extremely concerned and disappointed that Welsh Government appears to have doubled down on its 10% tree cover target (on areas Welsh Government considers suitable for tree planting) within the universal tier of the proposed scheme.
“In our response to the SFS outline proposals, NFU Cymru highlighted the broad range of issues associated with the 10% tree cover and 10% habitat targets. We remain clear that the challenges around these targets present a real barrier to scheme participation.
“Farmers will be prepared to plant hedges, shelterbelts, streamside corridors and field corners on appropriate areas of their farm but will not plant trees on their productive land.
“It will also be vital that the final consultation provides more detail on what exactly farmers will need to do and crucially what they can expect to be paid.”
“Family farms are the backbone of our rural and wider communities. We must have a scheme which delivers for our economy, landscape, language and culture, whilst also underpinning the top-quality food production, which makes our farmers the cornerstone of a food supply chain which sustains a multi-billion-pound food and drink industry and hundreds of thousands of jobs.”
FUW President Ian Rickman said: “The most important thing is to ensure this scheme is accessible and works for every farm. That includes the transition into the scheme, so any action taken to make that process smoother for farmers is welcome.”
“However,” Mr Rickman continued, “the scheme is at a critical stage. Further progress must result in a practical scheme that delivers economic, environmental and social sustainability and is workable for farms without harming Welsh food production.
“Further concessions are needed to prevent agricultural land important for food production and the sustainability of individual farm businesses from being planted with trees.
“We’ve been clear from the outset that food production and economic viability have to be considered equally to the environmental aspects of this scheme.”
Local MS Sam Kurtz, the Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, said: “The introduction of the SFS is the single most important change to Welsh agriculture in a lifetime, so it’s important that the Welsh Government get it right.
“It must be properly funded and sufficiently attractive to get farmers to sign up for the scheme. If not, everyone loses out: Welsh Government, farmers, the environment, and the Welsh public.
“While the Welsh Government have listened to calls on some aspects, their persistence with the arbitrary 10% tree coverage will cause real concern to Wales’ farmers, especially if it requires transferring food producing land to tree planting.
Suppose the Welsh Government does not provide specific information on why the 10% figure was chosen. In that case, it must be dropped in favour of a more flexible approach. One that considers the different types of farms in Wales and the different, and often better ways, to sequester carbon while producing high quality, environmentally sustainable food.”

Community

Wolfscastle farm’s new shed sparked ‘noise nuisance’ claims

Published

1 week ago

December 5, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A PEMBROKESHIRE farmer “jumped the gun” in his enthusiasm to build a new cattle shed which includes ‘robot slurry scrapers’ that have been causing a noise nuisance for neighbours, county planners heard.

In a retrospective application recommended for approval at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Aled Jenkins sought permission for a replacement cattle housing and silage clamp at Upper Ty Rhos, Wolfscastle.

An officer report said Upper Ty Rhos consists of a herd of 630 youngstock beef cattle, the applicant seeking permission for the replacement 100-metre-long cattle housing building.

It said the building benefits from a robotic scraping system to internally clean it to improve animal welfare and efficiency.

However, the slurry scraper system in operation has been found to constitute a statutory noise nuisance.

“The introduction of the slurry scraper system has resulted in a new noise source to the locality that is having a significant detrimental impact upon local amenity. The nuisance noise is directly associated with the extended hours of operation of the slurry scraper system and the noise created by the two motors powering the system including the drive mechanism that moves the scraper through the building to remove slurry produced by the housed cattle.

“To further exacerbate the situation, the building has open voids to the eastern gable end, which is within close proximity to the neighbouring property resulting in the building being acoustically weak.

“An acoustic report has been submitted with mitigation methods provided including relocating motors and associated equipment into external enclosures, reduction of noise egress through openings by installing hit-and-miss louvres and/or PVC strip curtains and consideration of blocking the gap between roof pitches along the ridge of the building.”

Three letters of concern were received from members of the public raising concerns including visual and environmental impact, noise issues and a potential for the herd size to increase.

Speaking at the meeting, neighbour Dr Andrew Williams, who stressed he was not seeking to have the shed removed, raised concerns about the noise from the ‘robot scrapers,’ exacerbated by cattle being concentrated in the immediate area from the wider farm complex.

Agent Wyn Harries addressed concerns about the retrospective nature was a result of over-enthusiasm by his client who “jumped the gun”.

He said there was now a scheme that was “fully worked through,” dealing with noise and other issues.

Members backed approval, which includes noise mitigation to address the impact of the robot scrapers; one member, Cllr Tony Wilcox, abstaining on the grounds of the retrospective native of the building “the size of a football field”.

Farming

FUW urges government action as plunging dairy prices threaten family farms

Published

1 week ago

December 5, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FARMER’s UNION OF WALES has sounded the alarm over a sharp and sustained collapse in dairy prices, warning that the situation is placing intolerable pressure on family farms already grappling with regulatory change, rising costs and wider economic uncertainty.

The Union convened an emergency meeting of its Animal Health and Dairy Committee last week to assess the scale of the crisis. Representatives from across Wales reported widespread anxiety, with many members seeing milk prices fall dramatically through the autumn. Processors are now signalling further cuts in early 2026, while commodity markets offer little sign of stability heading into spring.

Farmers, fearful of jeopardising commercial relationships, have approached the FUW confidentially to express grave concern about projected milk payments for the coming months. Many say the offers being made will fall far below the cost of production.

Average milk prices are forecast at just 30–35 pence per litre, against estimated production costs of 39–44 pence per litre (Kite Consulting). On current trajectories, the FUW warns a typical Welsh dairy farm could lose thousands of pounds per month for as long as the downturn persists.

Following its committee meeting, the Union raised the matter directly with Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS during talks in Cardiff on Wednesday, December 3. Officials stressed the immediate threat facing family-run dairy farms and called for urgent consideration of government support to prevent long-term damage to the sector.

Gerwyn Williams, Chair of the FUW Animal Health and Dairy Committee, said the pace of the price crash was “unprecedented”.

“Farmers are facing an impossible situation where input costs remain high while the value of their product plummets. The viability of many family farms is now at serious risk. We need immediate assurances that this crisis is being treated with the urgency it deserves.

“Some can weather a short storm, but rumours that this could continue into summer 2026 will see businesses shut. These modest family farms have already invested heavily to meet regulatory requirements. Cuts on this scale will severely impact their ability to service repayments.”

FUW Deputy President Dai Miles warned that the consequences extend far beyond farm gates.

“Dairy farming underpins thousands of jobs in Wales and is central to the economic, social and environmental fabric of rural communities. When prices fall this sharply, it isn’t just farmers who suffer — local businesses, services and entire communities feel the impact.

“We have made it clear to the Deputy First Minister that government must work with the industry to provide immediate stability and a long-term resilience plan.”

The FUW says it will continue to work with the Welsh Government, processors and supply-chain partners to seek solutions and secure fair, sustainable prices for producers.

Business

Holiday lets allowed to stay at Narberth dairy farm

Published

1 week ago

December 5, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL for a Pembrokeshire dairy farm to keep two “alternative” holiday pods sited without permission as a way of diversifying in an uncertain industry has been given the go-ahead.

In an application recommended for approval at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Vaynor Farm Ltd sought retrospective permission for the siting of two self-catering holiday accommodation pods at The Cart House, Vaynor Farm, Bethesda, near Narberth as part of a farm diversification enterprise.

It was before committee members as it was recommended for delegated conditional approval by senior officers despite being against the development plan.

Previous retrospective schemes, for two self-catering pods along with an application to retain a shepherd hut accommodation pod at another farm, a part of the Vaynor Farm farm enterprise, were refused in 2023 and 2025, the latter due to “an unjustified and harmful impact on the character and appearance of the open countryside”.

Detailing the current application, an officer report for members said the pods: Vaynor Farm Pod within the garden of The Cart House, and The Paddock Pod, on the edge of a small paddock, were constructed off-site and have been transported to their current locations, with external decking, hot tubs, a barbecue area and car parking provided for each pod.

It added: “A business plan has been submitted with the application, which explains that due to uncertainties associated with dairy farming, the applicant has sought to diversify the farm enterprise to incorporate tourism accommodation.

“The application makes the case that the proposed development represents farm diversification. It is acknowledged that the development has resulted in the provision of an alternative type of holiday accommodation for which it has been demonstrated there is a demand, contributing to the diversity and quality of accommodation available within the county and supporting an existing farm business, with consequent economic and social benefits.

“Evidence has been provided that demonstrates the extent to which the pods have provided income which has been used to support the farm business.

“However, officers consider that should planning permission be granted, a [planning obligation] will be necessary to ensure that the accommodation pods continue to support the farm business and are not separated from it at some future point in time.”

Delegated conditional approval limiting the use and occupation of the self-catering accommodation pods to short term holiday use only was moved by Cllr Brian Hall and unanimously backed by committee members.