P-06-1388 Remove the requirement for farmers to have at least 10% tree cover to access the new Sustainable Farming Scheme

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This petition was submitted by Alexandra Jane Higgs, having collected a total of 1,047 signatures.

Text of Petition:                    

Welsh Government is designing a new scheme to support farmers called the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). The most controversial Universal Action needed to join the scheme is the requirement for a farmer to have 10% tree cover, excluding hedgerows, plus 10% habitat. Many farmers for various reasons cannot plant 10% of their land with trees. The percentage of tree cover required to enter the scheme should be lowered to an attainable level to allow as many farmers as possible to be able to join.

Additional Information:

Reducing the area of productive farming land will decrease food production. This will affect all industries that serve the agricultural sector.

A low level of uptake of the scheme will be economically detrimental to the rural economy of Wales. Many farmers who presently receive BPS and cannot receive SFS will struggle to survive.

The increased levels of tree cover could be included in the Optional Actions (OAs).

Senedd Constituency and Region

• Brecon and Radnorshire
• Mid and West Wales

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