The announcement from the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, at the Royal Welsh Show confirms that the management of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) will now be included in the universal baseline payment within the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).
Positive agricultural practices
Speaking at the Royal Welsh Show, NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said: “SSSIs are the best examples of our natural environment and a significant number of these sites are located on our farmland, reflecting the positive agricultural practices carried out by farmers over generations. We are pleased that Welsh Government has listened to our concerns and these areas are now to be included within the universal baseline payment of the SFS.
“Welsh Government’s revised position will bring significant benefit to those farmers with SSSI on their farms. The move today demonstrates that the Cabinet Secretary is listening to the Ministerial Roundtable and is prepared to adopt a sensible and pragmatic approach to the final scheme design.
Shared ambitions
“Whilst this is progress, we are clear that there remains a lot of work to do on many other aspects of the scheme – as set out in NFU Cymru’s response to Welsh Government’s consultation - to ensure that the SFS delivers on our shared ambitions for food, nature and climate.
“NFU Cymru is clear that we need a scheme that underpins food production, our farmed environment, our communities, our language and culture, not just for our generation, but also those that follow in our footsteps.”