What consideration has the Welsh Government given to providing financial support for young farmers, including loans to provide security for external funders, and/or the Welsh Government acting as guarantor?
We continue to provide support for young farmers and new entrants to the sector through programmes such as Farming Connect, Start to Farm (formerly known as Venture) and the Small Grants - Horticulture Start-up scheme. All eligible farmers, including new entrants, are also able to apply for a range of other agricultural support schemes, as they become available.
As part of the ongoing evaluation of Farming Connect, lessons learnt from the current Start to Farm programme will be used to inform future schemes so we can best support new and young entrants.
In 2024 the Young Farmers Clubs (YFC) movement will receive over £230,000 from the Welsh Government. This funding is provided to facilitate and promote the use of the Welsh Language and support the YFC to offer a wide range of rural, educational, social and competitive activities to help develop the skills and knowledge of their members and enable them to fulfil their potential.
As we finalise the design of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) we are working with stakeholders to ensure SFS is accessible to all farmers and supports them for the economic, environmental and social opportunities ahead.