The Welsh government has withdrawn its proposal that would have required farmers to allocate 10% of their land to woodland and tree cover.

This proposal, which had been a key part of the Welsh government’s post-Brexit Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) framework, was dropped after receiving an extraordinary amount of feedback during a consultation earlier this year.

In its place, the government will introduce a new 'Universal Action,' requiring farmers to prepare a plan for tree planting and hedgerow creation. However, the requirement for 10% of each farm to be managed as habitat remains unchanged.

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Furthermore, the government will merge three separate actions covering Animal Health, Welfare and Biosecurity into one streamlined measure.

The Welsh government has emphasised that the scheme is still in development, with no final decisions made by ministers. Key areas of the SFS, including details for each Universal Action and the method for payment rates, require further work.

An economic analysis and impact assessment will be conducted to understand how the revised proposals might affect farmers.

NFU Cymru has thanked the government for 'listening to the concerns of the farming industry' and scrapping the 10% tree cover requirement.

NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said: "Today marks an important step forward in the development of the SFS.

"There is much more work to do in the coming months on the final scheme detail as well as a number of fundamental aspects of scheme design including the payment methodology and payment rates.

“NFU Cymru has long been clear that the scheme must work for all active farmers – all farming sectors and all land types in Wales including those who do not own the land that they farm and those with common land.

"Delivery of the scheme objectives, including actions for climate and nature, is reliant on designing a scheme that all farmers in Wales are able to participate in."

The Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) Cymru has also 'cautiously welcomed' the revised plans for the SFS.

Rhys Evans, the group’s manager, commented: “Tree planting on farms should be guided by the principle of planting the right tree in the right place for the right reason.

"We had concerns that mandatory tree cover policies might lead to unintended outcomes, such as losses of biodiversity or food production.

"Therefore, we welcome the flexibility for farmers to work with advisors to draw up tree planting and hedgerow creation plans which suit them."

The Welsh government intends to release the final SFS outline in July 2025.

Key updates to the Welsh SFS

  • The Universal layer framework remains intact but now features fewer Universal Actions, alongside Optional and Collaborative Actions for those aiming to go further.
  • The 10% farm-level tree cover requirement has been removed and replaced by a scheme-wide target, with further discussions to define this goal.
  • Farmers will have flexibility to decide how and where trees or hedges are incorporated into their farms.
  • Animal Health, Welfare and Biosecurity actions have been combined into a single simplified Universal Action, focusing on collaboration with farm vets for better outcomes.
  • The mandatory requirement for farm wash stations has been reduced to an Optional Action, acknowledging differing biosecurity needs.
  • Social value payments will be integrated into the Universal layer of the scheme.
  • Universal Payments will now account for Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and common land rights.