CAP reform

Tenant farmers in Wales have expressed fears that the Governments new Sustainable Farming Scheme will be unworkable, leaving them sidelined.

Dairy farmers in Wales have said it is unlikely they will sign up to the country’s new Sustainable Farming Scheme as its current terms will ‘inhibit’ production.

Fears are growing that the agriculture budget could be slashed amid the ‘frenzy of spending cuts’ which Rishi Sunak’s new Government is expected to carry out.

NFU president Minette Batters is urging the Government to revisit UK competition law to ensure greater protection for producers.

Welsh farming unions have welcomed the news that more than 95 per cent of farmers claiming BPS will today (October 14) receive an advance payment of up to 70 per cent of their claim.

New Farming Minister Mark Spencer has confirmed Defra is considering delinking Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments early as part of its review of agricultural policies.

Scottish farmers waiting for advance payment of their 2022 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) last week were disappointed to find that the promised funds had failed to reach their bank accounts.

Farmers who are part of Higher Level Stewardship schemes may now be able to extend their agreements for five years after the Government announced a change to the system.

The issue of future funding must be addressed if Scotland’s farming industry is to survive, leaders of NFU Scotland told the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs George Eustice this week.

Feelings of fear and uncertainty around the future of farming and food security are dominating the lives of young farmers, a new study has found.