Symbolic wellies display puts boot into SFS policy proposals

The move was taken to represent the jobs it forecasts will be lost through Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme proposals.

The visual display was put together by farmers on the eve of the closing of Welsh Government’s ‘Keeping Farmers Farming’ Sustainable Farming Scheme consultation.

Farmers across the country united to gather 5,500 pairs of wellingtons to bring the display to life. Boots provided for the display will be donated to charities in Africa.

NFU Cymru member and display organiser Paul Williams said: “Seeing these 5,500 wellies lined up on the steps of the Senedd is an emphatic depiction of the potential jobs that will be lost to Welsh agriculture if these proposals go ahead in their current guise.

“What makes our industry so special is the people and families for whom it's more than just a job.

"We have wellies of all sizes and colours on display, representing those who have farmed for decades and whose families have farmed our land for generations, as well as those with smaller feet but big ambitions for a future in our industry when they are older.

"The MSs who have looked out on the display from the Senedd must understand what is at stake and commit to ensuring the final Sustainable Farming Scheme proposals don’t harm Welsh businesses and communities.”

Fellow organiser Llŷr Jones said: “The support we’ve had from the wider Welsh agricultural community to collect these wellies has been incredible.This project has really captured the unity that exists within our industry.

"Welsh farmers are incredibly proud of the role they play for this country. We need Welsh Government to support our ambitions and help this fantastic industry to continue to prosper.”

NFU Cymru has warned of the impacts of aspects of the proposals contained within the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) scheme outline – not least the 10 per cent tree planting and habitat requirements – on the sector’s productivity and viability.

NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said: “What they have achieved is an emotional and impactful reminder of why NFU Cymru has continued to lobby so vigorously for so long against multiple areas of the consultation proposals.

"We simply cannot see government move forward with a scheme that puts 5,500 Welsh farming jobs in jeopardy, never mind the additional knock-on this will have to further jobs in the food supply chain – the impact of which has not been assessed – and our rural communities.

“Farmers across Wales have made their voices heard in a variety of ways during the Sustainable Farming Scheme consultation period. Welsh Government must show that it has listened by undertaking a major overhaul of the scheme to avoid the shocking scenario highlighted by its own modelling.”