Funding

Defra Secretary George Eustice’s claim that the sheep sector may not need no-deal support is a travesty, says Ceredigion Plaid Cymru MP Ben Lake.

Farmers in Wales can expect to keep direct payments until at least 2022 under new plans outlined by the Welsh Government as it moves towards a Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).

Farmers must speak to their suppliers and confirm productivity-boosting equipment is available to order before accepting their Countryside Productivity Small Grants (CPSG) by January 18, 2021.

Defra Secretary George Eustice has said the current ‘buoyancy’ of the UK sheep market may mean the sector will not need to be compensated in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The gap between agricultural policy could grow on either side of the Scottish border post-2024, as England moved towards environmental payments while Scotland was set to retain the ‘known quantity’ of the Basic Payment Scheme.

In the 80s, Thatcherism tore the heart out of British manufacturing, with long-term social consequences. We cannot let the same thing happen now to English farming, says Labour Shadow Defra Minister Daniel Zeichner.

With BPS on the way out, and Defra not yet ready to offer support which fills the gap, farmers must take steps now to survive the Brexit transition, says Dr Julia Aglionby, executive director at the FCL and chairwoman of the Uplands Alliance.

With direct payments on their way out, farmers should consider rewilding on marginal land to boost the income they make from food production, says Dr Stephanie Wray, director of RSK Wilding.

Defra Secretary George Eustice has been accused of ‘missing the point’ on slaughterhouse investment, after he suggested no local abattoir network policy was needed to accommodate Government plans for shorter livestock journey

Welsh farming unions have accused the chancellor of a ‘Brexit betrayal’ after he announced a decision to slash Wales’ agricultural budget in last week’s spending review.