Opposition from Welsh farmers to the government’s vision for future farm support in Wales remains strong.

The Welsh Government has published its response to the consultation it ran on the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) earlier this year.

Independent analysis of 12,000 responses to that consultation shows strong opposition to the plans.

Seventy two per cent of the responses received were from farmers.

The document said that there was concern that the scheme was overly complex, with too many actions to carry out.

Opposition to the requirement for farms to have 10% tree cover was clear for the majority of responses, it added.

Farmers also said they wanted a greater focus on food production, rather than on the environment.

There was more support for proposals for a so-called ‘stability payment’.

The farming unions have reacted to the publication of the document by demanding that the SFS is overhauled.

NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said the SFS must move “beyond a scheme focused predominately on the delivery of environmental outcomes’’ and instead become a “genuine agricultural policy that underpins food production in an increasingly volatile world.’’

Universal baseline payments need to be practical and achievable for all farm types, he added, and should go beyond costs incurred and income foregone payments, to incentivise farmers to “deliver for society’’.

“The scheme must include a long-term stability mechanism to underpin the continued supply of safe, high quality, affordable food from Wales,’’ said Mr Jones.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has also called for significant changes.

Its president Ian Rickman said the industry’s voice had been “loud and clear’’.

“It comes as no surprise that the consensus from the mammoth 12,000 farmers and organisations who responded to the consultation calls for significant changes to the scheme proposals,’’ said Mr Rickman.

Welsh rural affairs secretary Huw Irranca-Davies said the SFS would only be introduced “when it is ready” and confirmed that no decisions on the scheme had yet been made.

“We intend for the SFS to commence in 2026, and this will be preceded by a preparatory phase in 2025, providing advice and support to farmers,” said the minister.

Farmers will receive the Basic Payment Scheme in full in 2025.