Plans to require Welsh farmers to have trees on 10% of their land in order to qualify for government funding have been dropped after widespread protests. The requirement was part of planned changes to Welsh farming subsidies through the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), which is to be introduced in 2026. It will now be replaced with a new ‘Universal Action’, requiring farmers to undertake a tree planting and hedgerow creation plan. Farmers who apply for the scheme will be able to decide where they want to add more trees or hedges on their farm and how many, with funding to support them through the optional part of the scheme. However, farmers will still be required to manage at least 10% of their farm as habitat.
The Welsh Government is now considering options to create temporary habitat to help farmers meet this requirement, which should be suitable for all farming systems and land ownership.
In a speech at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair in Llanelwedd, Powys, Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said, “it was clear changes were needed – we said we would listen – and we’ve done just that”.
The main changes
In summary, the main changes made to the SFS include:
- The framework of a Universal layer for all has been retained but with a reduced overall number of Universal Actions with additional Optional and Collaborative Actions for those who choose to do more.
- The farm-level figure for 10% tree cover has been removed and will be replaced by a scheme-wide target, which will be agreed after government discussions.
- Farmers who apply for the scheme will be able to decide where they want to add more trees / hedges on their farm, and how many.
- The Animal Health, Welfare and Biosecurity actions have been merged into a single simplified Universal Action to focus discussions with the farm vet on improved outcomes.
- The requirement for all farms to have wash stations has been moved to an Optional Action, recognising that the biosecurity need of individual farms can be very different.
- Confirmation that additional payments for social value will be made under the universal part of the scheme.
- Taking account of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and common land rights in the Universal Payment.
The Welsh Government confirmed this is not the final scheme design and Welsh ministers have not made any final decision. There remains a substantial amount of work to be done on many aspects of the SFS, including the detail under each Universal Action and payment rates.
Publication of the final SFS outline is expected to be announced by the Welsh Government in July 2025.
