The Welsh Government is currently consulting on its Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), which is a long-term strategy for supporting the agriculture industry in Wales.

The SFS will manage how farmers in Wales are paid not only for producing food sustainably, but also for how they respond to the climate and nature emergencies.

Unfortunately, this well-meaning piece of legislation has become the latest issue to be weaponised by the Conservatives, who are being supported by elements of the far-right and those who deny climate change exists.

The spread of misinformation is particularly egregious in relation to Welsh Government plans to increase tree and woodland cover on Welsh farms.

The SFS would require farms to meet the following requirements in order to be eligible for payments:

1. At least 10% of the farm must be under tree cover as woodland or individual trees
2. At least 10% of each farm must be managed as habitat

This does not, as has been claimed, require farmers to stop farming on 20% of their existing farmland. Here’s why:

On average, tree cover on Welsh farms is already 7%, meaning building up to 10% would be a ‘relatively modest requirement’, according to the Woodland Trust. Existing woodland would count towards the 10% figure, as would trees in fields and hedgerows.

There are also exclusions for when reaching this target wouldn’t be possible, such as on deep peat, on rocky terrain, or on tenanted land where the farmer doesn’t have the authority to plant trees.

The 10% set aside for habitat will not require that land to be entirely removed from production, as is being claimed. This land could still be grazed for livestock, with an amended grazing scheme.

Given that nearly 90% of the land area of Wales is farmed, ensuring that the Welsh agricultural sector plays its part in tackling the climate crisis is absolutely vital if we are to achieve our ultimate goal of a liveable planet for future generations.

That is why the Sustainable Farming Scheme is so important and why the dangerous spread of misinformation about the scheme must be combatted robustly.

• The Welsh Government’s SFS consultation runs until Friday 8th March 2024. Please do consider responding to the consultation in support of the changes. The Wildlife Trust Wales and the World Wildlife Fund have teamed up to build a tool to help you submit a response: Click Here