Low SFS uptake in Anglesey prompts calls for scheme changes

Only one-third of eligible Anglesey farmers have joined Wales’s Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), prompting calls for changes to make it more workable.

Welsh government figures show 264 of the 808 farmers on the island who applied for either the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) or the SFS Universal layer entered the new scheme – an uptake rate of 33%.

This compares with nearer 50% uptake for the country as a whole in the scheme’s first year.

See also: Farm assurance farmers spared duplicate SFS health paperwork

NFU Cymru said the figures highlighted practical difficulties facing some farm businesses, particularly those trying to meet biodiversity requirements on farms without 10% existing permanent habitat.

Speaking ahead of the Anglesey Show on Tuesday (11 August), NFU Cymru deputy president Paul Williams said farmers supported delivering environmental benefits alongside food production, but some SFS rules did not reflect farming conditions on the island.

“Many farmers feel they have very limited options when trying to meet the habitat requirements, particularly where they don’t already have 10% permanent habitat on their farm,” he said.

“There is a need to extend the range of temporary habitat options to make sure that they can work for all sectors and all areas of Wales, including the type of land and farm types we typically see on Anglesey.”

Required SFS changes

To help more farmers meet entry criteria, NFU Cymru wants red clover to be added as a temporary habitat option from 2027, arguing its nitrogen-fixing properties, deep roots and benefits for pollinators could deliver both agricultural and environmental gains.

The union is also seeking changes to hedgerow requirements under Universal Action 8, with wind and salt burn in parts of Anglesey limiting hedge growth and farmers’ ability to establish trees within them.

Mr Williams said experience from the first year had also demonstrated a need to simplify Universal Action 5 on habitat maintenance, which currently includes 12 habitat categories alongside the Universal Code.

Requirements should better reflect differences in growing seasons and farming conditions across Wales, he added.

NFU Cymru is expected to raise the concerns with rural resilience minister Llyr Gruffydd at the Anglesey Show.

Mr Williams added that the minister’s willingness to simplify requirements surrounding the Animal Health Improvement Cycle was encouraging.

“When we meet with the cabinet minister at the show today we will discuss the areas where we believe that changes need to be introduced ahead of the 2027 scheme year,” he said.