Rural Property Professionals Ltd T/A Williams Associates

Sustainable Farming Scheme

In Wales, the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) is the Welsh Government’s new framework for supporting farmers, land managers, and rural businesses from 2026 onwards. The scheme will replace the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and is designed to reward farming practices that are productive, resilient, and sustainable for both food production and the environment.

What the Scheme Is

The SFS is a whole-farm support scheme that encourages a balanced approach to farming, delivering economic viability alongside environmental and social benefits. Rather than payments based on land ownership or historic entitlements, the scheme rewards farmers for actions that improve soil health, biodiversity, water quality, and climate resilience, while continuing to produce safe, high-quality food.

Structure of the Scheme

The Sustainable Farming Scheme is built around three layers:

  • Universal Layer – All participating farmers must complete a set of 12 Universal Actions, such as soil health planning and habitat management, to receive a baseline annual payment.
  • Optional Layer – Additional targeted actions can be undertaken to deliver further benefits for nature and climate, attracting extra financial support.
  • Collaborative Layer – Opportunities for farmers to work together on landscape-scale projects, including catchment management and coordinated habitat creation.

Key Feature

  • Habitat Requirement – Each farm entering the scheme must manage a minimum of 10% of its land as habitat, either existing or newly created, to deliver biodiversity benefits.

If you have sold or given up some land in the last 12 months or taken on additional land then please contact the office to discuss your requirements.

Timeline

The Sustainable Farming Scheme is expected to commence on 1 January 2026, with applications for the Universal Layer submitted annually through the Single Application Form (SAF) via Rural Payments Wales (RPW) Online.

How We Can Help

Williams Associates provides practical guidance and professional support to help clients understand and prepare for the Sustainable Farming Scheme, including:

  • Guidance and support with the SFS Data Collection Exercise
  • Completion of the online Single Application Form (SAF)
  • Comparison assessments of potential returns under BPS versus SFS
  • Assistance with Manage My Land requirements
  • Mapping services
  • Manage My CPH support
  • Applications for the Small Grants Scheme
  • Growing for the Environment applications
  • Small Grants – Efficiency applications

Our aim is to help clients make informed decisions and maximise the opportunities available under the Sustainable Farming Scheme while ensuring compliance with scheme requirements.

For more information please go to Sustainable Farming Scheme

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