“We’ve all come down today because the ministers are just not listening. It could be very serious for the future.” Tom Huntley, a farmer from Pontypridd, said that outside the Senedd as thousands of farmers gathered in Cardiff to protest the Welsh government’s new subsidy plans. South Wales Police put the turnout at about 3,000.
Here’s what it means in plain terms. Wales is replacing the farm payments it used to get through the EU with its own Sustainable Farming Scheme. Under the proposals, farmers would commit 10% of agricultural land to trees and 10% to wildlife habitat in return for funding. The tree requirement alone has proved hugely controversial.
The numbers behind the anger
An economic impact assessment published with the latest consultation suggested a 10.8% reduction in livestock numbers and an 11% cut in labour needed on Welsh farms. NFU Cymru said the labour figure could translate to more than 5,500 jobs. The assessment added that some workers might still be needed for non-farm work, such as managing woodland. Ministers later said the analysis was outdated and left out parts of the new scheme.
Angela Windsor, a farmer from Moylegrove in Pembrokeshire, said the proposal “doesn’t include farming at all”. Farmers with no trees or habitat, she said, would lose 20% of their land. Another protester, John, said he had not seen a protest of this magnitude since 1999.
The discontent has older roots: the handling of bovine TB and stricter limits on spreading manure. NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said he had “never witnessed such anguish in rural communities” in 12 years as a union official. He said farmers feel “they’ve not been listened to, not considered, not valued,” and he suggested the new funding scheme might need to be paused.
Protesters lined up wellies on the Senedd steps to stand for jobs they expect to disappear.
What the government said
Outgoing First Minister Mark Drakeford and Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths announced a list of actions after talks with farming leaders. They included considering an “evidence-based review” of how farms can absorb carbon emissions and updated economic analysis of the scheme. A government spokeswoman noted “a seven-year conversation with farmers” and said changes were expected after the consultation, which was due to close on 7 March.
Supporters of the scheme say its rules are more flexible than they look. Fields used to graze livestock can count toward the habitat target if they carry a diverse range of grasses and wildflowers, and native woodland on farms can count toward both targets.
Bonfires and a delay
The anger did not fade. Months later, ahead of the general election, the farmers’ pressure group Enough is Enough lit bonfires at farms in Ruthin, Pennal near Machynlleth, Brecon, Aberystwyth and Rhydlewis, with the main one at Shadog Farm near Llandysul. Unions and rural businesses backed it.
“Farmers are feeling very low,” said Aelwyn Evans, who runs Caegwyn Farm Supplies in Llanwrda. Gary Howells, speaking for the group, said farming had been given too little attention during the campaign and voiced frustration at a “lack of progress” in talks with the Welsh government.
By then the government had moved the start of the scheme to 2026. A spokesperson said a preparatory phase would run during 2025 to prepare farmers for entry.
Sources
- Thousands of protesting farmers descend on Cardiff
- Farmers across Wales light bonfires to send election agriculture message
