Laura Anne Jones MS has responded to the Welsh government’s long-awaited update on its sustainable farming scheme, warning that despite some welcome changes, serious concerns remain.

The revised scheme, announced today by the Deputy First Minister, spans more than 200 pages and outlines the Government’s vision for post- Brexit agricultural support. While some aspects of the new document represent an improvement on earlier drafts, farming representatives and Senedd Members have raised concerns about its complexity, fairness and flexibility.

Ms Jones pointed out that many farmers are likely to find the scheme overwhelming due to its dense language and technical detail and questioned whether the Government would allow it to evolve in response to real-world challenges.

She also raised concerns that the scheme could disproportionately benefit large landowners, while the scheme could result in higher rents for tenant farmers.

The new scheme still contains minimum tree planting requirements for farms and does not provide multi-year funding guarantees for farmers.

Laura Anne Jones MS, Senedd Member for South Wales East and Shadow Minister for Local Government, Housing and the Armed Forces, said: “Let’s be clear, this scheme is better than what came before, and we welcome some of the positive steps that have been taken, but there are real concerns that must not be ignored.”

“This document is complex and daunting, many farmers, especially with smaller and newer farms, will struggle to navigate it, and that could lead to poor uptake or serious misunderstandings.”

“I’m particularly worried about tenant farmers, which I questioned the Deputy First minister about.”

“Our farmers are respected by the public and they must be respected by this Welsh Government too. This scheme must remain flexible and responsive, or we’ll see the same mistakes made as with previous failed programmes.”