The Welsh Conservatives have tabled a Senedd motion to scrap the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) Proposals being brought forward by the Welsh Government.
The Labour Governments proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme will require farmers to commit to a checklist including - most controversially - having trees on 10% of their land.
According to the Welsh Government’s own economic impact assessment, the SFS will result in a 122,200 reduction in Welsh livestock numbers, 5,500 jobs being lost, and a £199m loss to Wales' economy.
Farmers from across mid Wales recently protested during a Welsh Labour leadership hustings event in Newtown.
In the Senedd next Wednesday (28/02/24) the Welsh Conservatives are bringing forward a Senedd motion to remove the requirement for each farm to have 10% tree cover and scrap the current Sustainable Farming Scheme proposals and to re-engage with the farming sector to develop a new scheme that has the support of the farming community.
Montgomeryshire MS, Russell George has said that he plans to speak in the debate on behalf of the Powys farming community.
Commenting ahead of the debate, Mr George said:
“Farmers are being asked to do more for less, with reduced support from the Welsh Government. The industry is now at breaking point, and this is why I joined famers in Newtown on Sunday as they seeked to present their views to Ministers.
‘‘A 122,200 reduction in Welsh livestock numbers, 5,500 jobs on Welsh farms lost, and a £199m loss to Wales' rural economy, without a doubt the Sustainable Farming scheme as it is currently proposed will harm farmers lively- hoods and the rural community.
“The Welsh Government have failed to recognise the importance of our farming industry to our economy, society, and culture, and they did not listen ahead of developing the proposals for the new scheme.
“I will be speaking further with Farming Union representatives over the next few days, ahead of Wednesdays debate.
“That's why, along with my Welsh Conservatives colleagues, we are standing shoulder to shoulder with our farming sector, calling out Labour’s failures on TB eradication to the over regulation of the industry, such as the approach the government took to NVZs , and calling for the Sustainable Farming Scheme proposals to be scrapped.”
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