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Unions welcome SSSI announcement

WELSH farming unions have welcomed the Welsh Government’s announcement that the management of Wales’s most environmentally significant land will be included in the universal baseline payment within the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme.

The announcement from the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, at the Royal Welsh Show confirms that the management of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) will now be included in the universal baseline payment within the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).

Speaking at the Royal Welsh Show, NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said: “SSSIs are the best examples of our natural environment. A significant number of these sites are located on our farmland, reflecting the positive agricultural practices carried out by farmers over generations. We are pleased that the Welsh Government has listened to our concerns, and these areas are now to be included within the universal baseline payment of the SFS.

“The Welsh Government’s revised position will significantly benefit those farmers with SSSI on their farms. The move today demonstrates that the Cabinet Secretary is listening to the Ministerial Roundtable and is prepared to adopt a sensible and pragmatic approach to the final scheme design.

“Whilst this is progress, we are clear that there remains a lot of work to do on many other aspects of the scheme – as set out in NFU Cymru’s response to the Welsh Government’s consultation – to ensure that the SFS delivers on our shared ambitions for food, nature and climate.

“NFU Cymru is clear that we need a scheme that underpins food production, our farmed environment, our communities, our language and culture, not just for our generation, but also those that follow in our footsteps.”

FUW President Ian Rickman said: “We highlighted in our comprehensive consultation response earlier this year that some farms are almost entirely categorised as SSSI and would, therefore, be placed at a severe disadvantage compared to other producers across Wales if they were unable to access maintenance payments.

“The initial proposals would have resulted in the perverse effect of penalising those farming what has been categorised as Wales’ most precious land.

“While some fundamental questions remain around the payment methodology and capacity within Natural Resources Wales to issue management agreements for SSSI sites, we welcome the efforts made by the Welsh Government to address how the SFS can work alongside the regulatory requirements of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

“We are committed to the work of the three Welsh Government groups in working through elements of the scheme in turn, and we certainly see this as an important step forward,” concluded Mr Rickman.

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Huw Irranca Davies meets with farming representatives at the Royal Welsh Show

Wales’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, said: “While final decisions on Scheme design will not be taken until the current work with stakeholders has concluded, the overwhelming feedback we have had, including through the consultation, is that SSSIs should be included in the Universal Baseline Payment.

“Having further determined that habitat maintenance actions are additional to the regulatory baseline, I can therefore confirm that this will be our intention.

“SSSIs represent our best wildlife and geological sites and are legally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In order to help tackle climate and nature emergencies, we need to improve the condition and connectivity of our terrestrial, freshwater, and marine protected sites, creating resilient ecological networks that will allow our most endangered habitats and species to thrive.

“Including SSSIs in the Universal Baseline Payment would recognise farmers’ efforts in managing these areas for all our benefits. It would help ensure these sites are integrated within wider farm management, balancing food production and actions that improve the prospects of nature and freshwater habitats. It would also contribute to meeting the Sustainable Land Management objectives included in the Agriculture (Wales) Act.

“I was pleased that, following discussion at the third meeting of the Ministerial Roundtable, which was held at the Royal Welsh Show this week [Tuesday, July 23], a consensus was reached on this issue.

“While there remain important questions to answer on the design of the Scheme and the payment methodology, including, for example, common land, this is a positive step in moving forward collaboratively on a key area of Scheme design.

“We are only able to make this progress through the time, commitment and positive engagement of all of the organisations who are on the SFS Ministerial Roundtable and Officials Group.

“I am grateful for their continued support. There is a lot of work to be done in a short space of time. We must therefore continue working at pace.”

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