Farmers' protest: Thousands of wellies line Senedd steps to protest new plans

  • Abi Reader from the NFU spoke outside the Senedd.

Thousands of wellies have been lined up on the steps of the Senedd in protest against the Welsh Government's new farming plans.

The protest, organised by the National Farmers Union, represents the thousands of jobs expected to be lost if the controversial Sustainable Farming Scheme goes ahead.

Currently, the plan expects farmers to plant trees on 10% of their land and set aside another 10% for nature purposes.

'Shocking' report predicts 5,500 job losses in the farming sector in Wales

According to the Welsh Government's own report, more than 5,000 jobs could be lost as a result of the scheme. Farming leaders have described the prospect as "devastating".

However, a spokesperson for the government said they expect changes to be made following the consultation, and we will continue to listen."

The Sustainable Farming Scheme is the Welsh Government's plan to replace EU farming subsidies, which Welsh farmers can no longer access after Brexit.

It would mean farmers have to plant 10% of their land with trees, and a further 10% would become habitat for wildlife in order to get government payments to support their farms.

This is, in part, to help the Welsh Government meet their own target of planting 43,000 hectares of woodland by 2030.

The latest protest has hit out at concerns amongst farmers that the plan, in its current form, would effectively mean they have to give up a fifth of their land to help the environment.

Protesters gathered at the Senedd at the end of February in the biggest protest the Senedd has ever seen. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

At the end of February, more than 3,000 protesters gathered outside the Senedd to campaign against the scheme in the biggest protest in Senedd history.

Why thousands of farmers are descending on Cardiff

A week later, today's protest has been described by opposition politicians as "poignant and powerful".

Samuel Kurtz MS, Shadow Rural Affairs Minister, added, "Empty wellies representing the empty farms and empty communities that will be seen the length and breadth of rural Wales if the SFS goes ahead without some serious and wholesale changes.

"I urge the First Minister, the Rural Affairs Minister and all Senedd Members to go and see the display for themselves and I challenge them not to be moved."

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Farming is very important to Wales and our economy and we want a successful future for Welsh farming.

“Our seven-year conversation with farmers to design future farming support is ongoing – we are committed to continuing to work with farmers to develop the Sustainable Farming Scheme.

"This is a genuine consultation and no decisions will be taken about any element of the proposal, including how we achieve the requirement for habitat and trees, until we have conducted a full analysis of the consultation responses."

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