01/02/2024 Welsh Sustainable Farming Scheme; Farmland birds; Meat imports and exports.

Welsh farmers fear their government is moving to reduce the number of cattle and sheep in the country - it's because of an impact assessment that the government carried out on its new Sustainable Farming Scheme. This is the Welsh replacement for the old EU CAP, it's currently out for consultation and is due to come in next year. The impact assessment research, by ADAS, The SRUC and the University of Dublin, showed a reduction in farm income as a result of the new policy which will phase out direct subsidy payments of £199 million. It estimates 5,500 jobs will go, along with 122,000 cattle and sheep. It's 10 years since the first Big Farmland Bird Count - a farmer-led survey run by the Game and Wildlife Conservation trust. Many birds that would have traditionally relied on farming landscapes, like yellow hammers, corn buntings and lapwings are in decline and red-listed according to the RSPB. We visit a farm on Salisbury Plain where one farmer's put in a range of measures to encourage birds, including boosting hedgerows, keeping plots back for plant mixes that provide seeds in the winter, and spreading bird seed every week.  New rules on imports from the EU came in this week but the meat industry here warns that there are still problems which need ironing out. Post-Brexit checks on imported meat, fruit and veg have finally been introduced after much delay. From April more checks come in and, alongside concerns that the UK border control post won't be ready, the British Meat Processors Association warns that EU exporters won't have access to enough vets to sign documentation. Presenter = Charlotte Smith

Producer = Rebecca Rooney