Sustainable Farming Scheme progress confirmed at Royal Welsh Show

The Welsh Government has confirmed that management of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs ) will be included in the Universal Baseline Payment for the Sustainable Farming Scheme.

Cabinet Secretary Huw Irranca-Davies confirmed the move today (23 July) after a Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) round table at the Royal Welsh Show.

He said: “While final decisions on Scheme design will not be taken until the current work with stakeholders has concluded, the overwhelming feedback we have had, including through the consultation, is that SSSIs should be included in the Universal Baseline Payment.

“Having further determined that habitat maintenance actions are additional to the regulatory baseline, I can therefore confirm that this will be our intention.

“SSSIs represent our best wildlife and geological sites and are legally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In order to help tackle the climate and nature emergencies, we need to improve the condition and connectivity of our terrestrial, freshwater and marine protected sites, creating resilient ecological networks which will allow our most endangered habitats and species to thrive.

Integrated 

Mr Irranca-Davies added: “Including SSSIs in the Universal Baseline Payment would recognise farmers’ efforts in managing these areas, for all our benefits. It would help ensure these sites are integrated within wider farm management, balancing food production and actions that improve the prospects of nature and freshwater habitats. It would also contribute to meeting the Sustainable Land Management objectives included in the Agriculture (Wales) Act.

“I was pleased that, following discussion at the third meeting of the Ministerial Roundtable which was held at the Royal Welsh Show this week [Tuesday 23 July], a consensus was reached on this issue.

“While there remain important questions to answer on the design of the Scheme and the payment methodology, including for example common land, this is a positive step in moving forward collaboratively on a key area of Scheme design.

“We are only able to make this progress through the time, commitment and positive engagement of all of the organisations who are on the SFS Ministerial Roundtable and Officials Group.

“I am grateful for their continued support. There is a lot of work to be done in a short space of time. We must therefore continue working at pace.”

Questions

Speaking after the announcement, FUW President Ian Rickman said: “We highlighted in our comprehensive consultation response earlier this year that some farms are almost entirely categorised as SSSI and would therefore be placed at a severe disadvantage compared to other producers across Wales if they were unable to access maintenance payments.

“The initial proposals would have resulted in the perverse effect of penalising those farming what have been categorised as Wales’ most precious land.

“While some fundamental questions remain around the payment methodology and capacity within Natural Resources Wales to issue management agreements for SSSI sites, we welcome the efforts made by the Welsh Government to address how the SFS can work alongside the regulatory requirements of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

“We are committed to the work of the three Welsh Government groups in working through elements of the scheme in turn, and we certainly see this as an important step forward.”