What action is the Welsh Government taking to support the farming sector in Wales?
More farmers in Wales were paid their full and balance BPS payments in December than in previous years, worth over £233m to Welsh farm businesses.
As planned, we have protected the BPS budget at £238m for 2024. We have listened to farmers and their representatives about the importance of providing an element of stability amongst all the change, especially in the last year before the introduction of SFS.
We have developed a Sustainable Farming Scheme designed to support all farmers in Wales through a Universal Baseline Payment, based on the completion of a set of Universal Actions. These Actions will be familiar to farmers in Wales, they are actions many of them take on a day-to-day basis.
The health and welfare of animals is fundamental to farming in Wales. Infectious diseases are an ever-present threat to animals and people. I have ensured our animal health and welfare budgets are unchanged. We will continue to focus on biosecurity and tackling animal disease.
Our Farming Connect service continues to provide important help and advice to agriculture businesses in Wales.