Commenting on the budget, Welsh Conservative Shadow Rural Affairs Minister, Samuel Kurtz MS said:
“I am pleased to see that the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) funding has been maintained at £238 million after fierce representations from myself and the Welsh Conservatives to the Rural Affairs Minister. After repeated questions and a debate in the Senedd, this is welcome news. For every pound invested through the BPS, £9 is returned, meaning over £2 billion is reinvested into the Welsh economy through direct support to our farmers.
“Question marks remain over funding for the Habitat Wales Scheme and for organic farming. Given that the Habitat Wales Scheme is due to commence on January 1st, I would expect the Minister to bring forward urgent clarification on the budget for this scheme so that participating farmers know what financial support is available to them. I would also encourage the Minister to provide further clarity on funding support for farmers to ensure compliance with the additional NVZs requirements which take effect in 2024.
“For Wales’s rural economies, farming plays a much bigger role than just providing employment. It supports our culture, our language and our communities, therefore I am pleased that there has been some recognition of the importance of the agricultural sector in the draft budget. However, the wider cuts to the Rural Affairs budget will harm our rural communities, so it is imperative that the final budget is not reduced by the damaging in-year cuts which we have seen the Welsh Government undertake this year."
