Last week’s news that the UK Government is to stop accepting new applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Scheme caused outrage amongst English farmers and is a timely wake-up call on the need to deliver a workable scheme in Wales that provides stability for Welsh farmers.

On 11 March, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner MP, announced that England’s SFI scheme had reached its application limit, with 37,000 agreements signed for funding, and the total budget subsequently allocated.

The uproar that has followed the UK Government’s decision has reinforced the Farmers’ Union of Wales’ previous warnings that the approach adopted in England over recent months had become increasingly erratic. In particular, the short-sighted decisions to announce and adjust payment rates without thorough economic modelling has subsequently left many farmers in the lurch.

In contrast to the situation in England, the Farmers’ Union of Wales has consistently argued that any replacement farm support scheme in Wales must be built on robust economic analysis, thorough piloting, and clear long-term planning to prevent such instability.

To this end, as discussions regarding the Sustainable Farming Scheme continue in Wales, such lessons from England must not be ignored.

Throughout the co-design process for Wales’ Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), the Farmers’ Union of Wales has advocated the inclusion of an area-based Universal Baseline Payment, ensuring fairer, more stable support for Welsh farmers.

As well as such pressure regarding a baseline payment, the Farmers’ Union of Wales has also long advocated for capping payments in any future framework. This has not been the case in England. Ensuring such a mechanism would maximise the amount of money going to typical family farms and those who make the greatest contribution to rural communities and the economy.

With the announcement regarding Wales’ Sustainable Farming Scheme’s payment framework due later on this year, this fall-out in England acts as a timely reminder of the need for Welsh Government to remain committed to its structured, consultative approach and ensure the transition from the Basic Payment Scheme provides certainty for farmers and those who sustain our rural communities.