This year’s Winter Fair was a sweeping success once again, bringing the agriculture sector together, and showcasing the very best of rural Wales, as well as an opportunity for some early Christmas shopping amidst all the brilliant produce and goods.

Of course, one of the main talking points revolved around the announcement of the revised Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) - outlined by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS. Many will recall the previous proposals sparked grave concern within the industry and a Welsh Government consultation earlier this year drew an unprecedented 12,000 responses.

Alongside other important ongoing issues such as bovine TB, water quality regulations and inheritance tax relief, revising this Scheme has therefore remained a key priority for the FUW over recent months as we fully understand how important farm support is to the viability of our farm businesses, the rural economy and the wider supply chain here in Wales.

Due to this importance, the FUW has taken the opportunity to engage with Welsh Government stakeholder groups over recent months. Through this collaborative approach we’re pleased to have pressed to ensure the removal of the previous 10 per cent tree cover scheme, and replaced with a scheme-wide target and a revised Universal Action. Similarly, the overall number of Universal Actions have been reduced from 17 to 12, and Sites of Special Scientific Interest and areas linked to common land grazing rights will now be eligible for a proportion of the Universal Baseline Payment. These are only some changes within the revised scheme and the FUW looks forward to discussing the full proposals further with members over the coming weeks.

Crucially, the announcement earlier this week only marks the end of the beginning, and there remains a high level of detail to work through and confirm. To this end, the updated economic analysis and impact assessments are of crucial importance.

The Welsh Government’s commitment to developing a Social Value Payment that reflects the actions Welsh farmers undertake that contribute to all 4 Sustainable Land Management objectives will also be of key importance.

While there have been some significant changes to the scheme, we must now ensure that the associated budget and payment methodology deliver real economic stability for our family farms in Wales as we face a backdrop of many other significant challenges.