Welsh Sustainable Farming Scheme AND Protests

[Still Farming]

Carbon auditing is one of the Universal Actions iirc, but don't remember which one.

Soil testing was 1 ,different sub headings possibly.

 

[Bald Rick]

They require a carbon audit to be done in yr 1 of the scheme and again in yr 5, and would prefer that it as done annually. Data to be entered in an online portal.

That's a VERY different thing to taking our carbon credits though.

RPW said at the Welshpool meeting that they may look into which calculator we should use, as it was clearly nuts to have data coming in from 40+ different ones.

A comparatively small step IMO once they have the data

”Alrite John .. wanna buy some carbon?”

 

[lloyd]

Speaking to a chap today involved in tree planting he was telling
me the nurseries are way ,way short of the number of trees being talked about
and a lot of the ones planted in his area look very ropey.
He thinks the 10% requested is farcical and that it will be very difficult to ever
revert back to agricultural under the present laws.

 

[Kevtherev]

Squirrels rabbits deer and feral sheep will decimate most new planting unless monitored very carefully.

 

[Still Farming]

Speaking to a chap today involved in tree planting he was telling
me the nurseries are way ,way short of the number of trees being talked about
and a lot of the ones planted in his area look very ropey.
He thinks the 10% requested is farcical and that it will be very difficult to ever
revert back to agricultural under the present laws.

The WA RPA staff admitted that in meeting saying they understood there isn't enough trees in the Country anyhow if farmers wanted to undertake today?

 

[Still Farming]

Squirrels rabbits deer and feral sheep will decimate most new planting unless monitored very carefully.

Got to be looked after or as per your undertakings you'll be replanting and replanting and costing you for years otherwise.

 

[lloyd]

The WA RPA staff admitted that in meeting saying they understood there isn't enough trees in the Country anyhow if farmers wanted to undertake today?

They need to have a rejig to a figure of under 5%.
10% just stinks of a nationalist land grab.

 

[neilo]

Speaking to a chap today involved in tree planting he was telling
me the nurseries are way ,way short of the number of trees being talked about
and a lot of the ones planted in his area look very ropey.
He thinks the 10% requested is farcical and that it will be very difficult to ever
revert back to agricultural under the present laws.

Any woodland planted will certainly become woodland forever, and that’s why it should only happen on that ground that should maybe be in trees anyway AFAIC.
I’ve no problem with tree planting, just the rule that every single farm should have 10% cover. That’s just ridiculous.

 

[neilo]

Got to be looked after or as per your undertakings you'll be replanting and replanting and costing you for years otherwise.

Quite rightly tbh. IF you are going to plant trees, particularly if you use public money to do so, then you should end up with that chunk of land growing trees.
The same has always applied to other crops grown for schemes, so why not trees?

if you undertake to grow something, and take money for doing so, then surely you should have to deliver.

 

[Kevtherev]

Any woodland planted will certainly become woodland forever, and that’s why it should only happen on that ground that should maybe be in trees anyway AFAIC.
I’ve no problem with tree planting, just the rule that every single farm should have 10% cover. That’s just ridiculous.

Apple trees I suspect a new business venture of cider making…

 

[lloyd]

Any woodland planted will certainly become woodland forever, and that’s why it should only happen on that ground that should maybe be in trees anyway AFAIC.
I’ve no problem with tree planting, just the rule that every single farm should have 10% cover. That’s just ridiculous.

We've already got close to 10% but I can't see anyone being happy if they are singled
out for tree planting.

 

[Still Farming]

Welsh farming: Protesters parade coffin at Carmarthen demo

A backlash against plans to reform agriculture in Wales is predicted by union leaders.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Still Farming]

 

[Still Farming]

Labour set to ditch £28bn-a-year green investment target

Party leader Keir Starmer prepares to water down most expensive policy

www.ft.com

 

[Glomulinman]

Which are you minded to do, if the final scheme stays as is currently proposed?

For me, it depends entirely on the payment rates offered. Now there is an exemption for trees on tenanted farms, I could tick most of the boxes with little more than paper exercises on a rainy day tbh.
The 10% habitat requirement includes hedgerows (at 18 sq m per m of hedgerow iirc?), with the remainder made up of (separately funded) herbal leys.
CPD is just a joke, albeit moderately time consuming. 6 x 1hr online courses followed by a test to see if you stayed awake. Nothing more than a 6hr tickbox exercise tbh.

If the payment rates make it worthwhile then I’d likely sign up. Should most of the UAs be compulsory across all farms in Wales, don’t be ridiculous!

In a meeting this week and union lad said hedges (tall ones) count as trees not habitat,

 

[Still Farming]

In a meeting this week and union lad said hedges (tall ones) count as trees not habitat,

Over 3m yes

 

[fgc325j]

View attachment 1163175

Good - this probably means that Drakeford will not get the money from Westminster to pay for the scheme

 

[Glomulinman]

Over 3m yes

Plan is make it so restrictive ,uneconomic and complex, resulting in a low uptake ,"farmers don't want it " then divert the money to Education,health,etc,etc

 

[neilo]

Plan is make it so restrictive ,uneconomic and complex, resulting in a low uptake ,"farmers don't want it " then divert the money to Education,health,etc,etc

Maybe, but you get that from the height of a hedge?

It seems that, under current proposals, if a hedge is over 3m in height then it will be closed as a row of trees. If it is under 3m in height, then it is habitat (@18 sq m per linear m), but trees in that hedgerow are still ‘trees’.

All as clear as mud.

 

[Johnnyboxer]

Farming: Coffin brought as 3,000 people protest reform plans https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-68232236

The Welsh are mobilising…..tonight

Big turnout tonight at Camarthen Mart