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Wales is losing sheep
{Earth and Leaf Editorial – Sheep have shaped our upland landscape in far greater was than many of us imagine. Land clearances paved the way for Scottish deforestation. We have an unusually structured sheep farmng system. Have a look at this article and then have a look at our links.}
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Wool-d you believe Wales is losing sheep?
If we believe the stereotypes, Wales has long been widely known for its rugby, choirs and sheep.
But the rugby is in the doldrums, the number of choirs is dwindling – and the sheep seem to have done a runner.
New figures show that where there were nearly 12m of them in the 1990s, the Welsh flock has fallen to just 8.75m in 2024.
This is almost their lowest in more than a decade, according to the Welsh government’s latest agricultural survey, and chickens now outnumber sheep.
Today’s links to our other pages and posts and external sites of interest . . . Farming union hits back after environmentalist predicts demise of Welsh livestock farming
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Why culled deer carcasses in Scotland should be left to rot
Why culled deer carcasses in Scotland should be left to rot, according to experts
This is close to my heart. I have been saying this for years. It will help scavengers, farmers and invertebrates. Iain Dunn. Extract below: {extract below}
Hundreds of thousands of kilos of vital nutrients are removed every year when deer carcasses are lifted off the hill, ecologists have said.
In Scotland, deer populations have been actively managed since 1959, primarily to control over browsing. Currently, all four wild deer species present in Scotland – red deer, roe deer, fallow deer and sika deer – are considered overabundant.
Today’s link to our pages or posts . . .
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Transition Farmers to Sustainability
{Transition Farmers to Sustainability – Earth and Leaf editorial}
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Transition Farmers to Sustainability Transition Farmers to Sustainability
We must help our farmers transition to a sustainable future
The Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) will be one of the biggest changes impacting Welsh agriculture in generations. Scheme design and an adequate multi-annual budget will be fundamental to its success.
But just as important will be the advice and guidance farmers receive on transitioning from the current payment system, based on the amount of land they have, to one that pays them to manage land sustainably and the environmental benefits this provides society.
Since the mid twentieth century, following threats to food security, Welsh farming has been encouraged to intensify and produce more food, which it has done very successfully. In our lifetimes farmers have been paid for the number of sheep and cattle they kept, and generous grants were available for converting semi-natural habitats, such as traditional flower-rich meadows, to improved agricultural grasslands.
This system led to higher payment to farmers who improved their land and kept high levels of stock. The same system also served to devalue important wildlife habitats like ponds, trees, woodland and scrub as it considered them un-grazeable and therefore not worthy of payment.
The result was inevitable. Farmers are businesspeople and need to make a living from their land. The payment system supporting them provided no real option, prioritising production over nature.
Almost half our farmland birds, mammals, amphibians, insects and invertebrates have disappeared, along with more than 90% of enclosed flower-rich grasslands because of this poorly thought-out farming policy, which failed to adequately protect nature.
Today’s link to our pages or posts . . .
The Sustainable Farming Scheme is only available in Wales
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Farming union hits back after environmentalist predicts demise of Welsh livestock farming
{Earth and Leaf Editorial – Farming union hits back after environmentalist predicts demise of Welsh livestock farming. The problem with Abi’s comments is that it is and must be what people want to be hearing at the moment. We cannot continue to bury our heads in the sand.}
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Abi Reader Demise of Welsh livestock farming
The Deputy President of NFU Cymru has rubbished claims by a leading environmentalist that livestock farming in Wales is doomed.
Gareth Clubb is the director of WWF Cymru, but he stresses that an article published on his blog is a personal view that has not been endorsed by his employer. In it, he argues that changes in eating habits will lead to the demise of Welsh livestock farming within a few years.
He referred specifically to protein molecules produced by precision fermentation – a technique that allows alternatives to meat to be created by tissue from live animals.
But Abi Reader of the NFU, a third generation farmer herself who farms near Cardiff, said: “Gareth’s comments have not been received well at all by our members. I think it just goes to show how out of touch he is with the situation on the ground, and with reality in terms of how people in this world feed themselves. It’s not news that anyone wants to be hearing at the moment.”
Today’s link to our other pages and posts . . .Hill Farming will End in Wales
The NFU view on climate change . . . https://www.nfuonline.com/updates-and-information/adapting-agriculture-for-today-s-climate-challenges/
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Sustainable Farming Scheme: your questions answered
{Sustainable Farming Scheme – Earth and Leaf editorial}
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Sustainable Farming Scheme: your questions answered
Farmers across Wales have been protesting against the Welsh Government’s proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).
This article answers some FAQs about the scheme.
What is the Sustainable Farming Scheme?
The proposed SFS would pay farmers for actions resulting in environmental, animal welfare and social outcomes, over and above minimum legal requirements.
Farmers would be required to carry out a suite of ‘Universal Actions’ for which they would receive the ‘Universal Baseline Payment’.
Non-compulsory ‘Optional’ and ‘Collaborative’ actions would be available for additional payments.
Scheme rules include:
- at least 10% of each farm managed as habitat; and
- at least 10% under tree cover as woodland or individual trees.
The SFS is currently due to be introduced in January 2025.
Today’s link to our pages or posts . . .
Hill Farming will End in Wales
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Farms Face Job Losses Without Net Zero Support
{Farms Face Job Losses – Earth and Leaf Editorial}
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Climate change: Farms face job losses without net zero support
This is a major focus for Earth and Leaf. Welsh government is taking a lead with the sustainable farming scheme but has failed to carry farmers with them.
Extract below:
Mr Rickman, who is deputy president of the Farmers’ Union of Wales, recently brought in 26-year-old Sean Jeffreys as a partner at his 84-hectare farm near Bethlehem, Carmarthenshire.
Farming was the “backbone of the rural economy”, agreed Mr Rickman, and severe job losses would be “devastating”.
Penri James, visiting lecturer in agriculture at Aberystwyth University, said there needed to be “changes to the way farms operate”.
He urged “joined up thinking” in government strategies around climate change, farming, skills and employment.
“There should be a huge amount of concern in government about how this transition is going to operate because if they don’t get it right there will be significant job losses in rural areas and the disappearance of viable businesses.”
Today’s link to our pages or posts . . .
Farmer Confidence at Lowest in England and Wales Since Survey Began, NFU Says
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The Future of Farm Support in Wales
{The Future of Farm Support in Wales – Earth and Leaf editorial}
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The Future of Farm Support in Wales The Future of Farm Support in Wales
On the 26th of September, the Welsh Government introduced an Agriculture Bill to the Senedd to establish a new system of farm support, based on the framework of Sustainable Land Management (SLM). This will underpin future farm support in Wales, with farmers being financially rewarded for delivering SLM outcomes through the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).
The Sustainable Farming Scheme
The Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), which is similar to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) introduced in England, is the closest replacement to the existing Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). Under the scheme, farmers will be financially rewarded for actions that the Welsh Government thinks will deliver benefits to both the individual farm, the environment, animal health and welfare and wider society. Following the latest round of co-design, final decisions on the scheme, including the actual funding and payment rates, will be presented in 2023.
The scheme will be supported through a new advisory service the ‘Farming Connect’ programme, and the adoption of basic benchmarking using simple Key Performance Indicators (KPI). This will take the form of an annual self-assessment against minimum sector KPIs.
The scheme will be made up of three distinct layers, each with different levels of funding and requirements, which are higher the more you choose to do.
The first layer includes a number of ‘Universal Actions’ which must be undertaken by all farmers involved. Following this there are two further ‘Optional’ and ‘Collaborative’ layers which consist of more complicated, focused actions which involve collective work with other farmers.
Universal Actions
These mandatory actions will provide a baseline payment for participation, although how this figure is calculated is yet to be established. There will be capital items available.
- Complete an annual KPI self-assessment
- Set up dedicated secure stores for deadstock
- Operate pest control programmes
- Report the average amount of antibiotics used on the farm
- Manage peatland appropriately
- Create habitat features on land if 10% of the farm doesn’t currently have these. This can include trees, hedges, and shelter belts
- Restore and manage wildlife ponds or create shallow temporary ponds
Optional Actions
A Farmer may choose which additional actions they undertake in this layer, with further payment for the delivery of specific targets depending on what is suitable for the land or landscape feature in question. These will be more complex than the ‘Universal Actions’ or tailored to specific areas of a holding.
- Establish a mixed sward of grasses, legumes and herbs or native wildflowers
- Capital support for rotational and mob grazing infrastructure
- Decarbonise machinery use and farming practices
- Use minimum-tillage or no-tillage methods to cultivate crops
Today’s link to our pages or posts . . .
And Welsh Government . . .
