MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Welsh farmers and tractors flock on Cardiff to protest the Sustainable Farming Scheme

Outgoing First Minister Mark Drakeford and Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths announced a list of actions they would take following talks

Welsh farmers took to the streets in Cardiff to protest the Sustainable Farming Scheme, SFS, considered by the agriculture unions to be “unworkable.” Proposals would require farmers to commit 10% of agricultural land to be used for trees and 10% for wildlife habitat. South Wales Police said about 3,000 people turned up at the Senedd.

Later on Wednesday, opposition parties in the Senedd in a non binding vote agreed to scrap the Welsh government's controversial plan.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, outgoing First Minister Mark Drakeford and Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths announced a list of actions they would take following talks with farming leaders.

They included considering an “evidence-based review” of the ways farms can help soak in planet-warming carbon emissions, and carrying out updated economic analysis of the new post-Brexit subsidy scheme.

The requirement for all farms to ensure 10% tree coverage in exchange for funding in future has proved hugely controversial.

An economic impact assessment published alongside the latest consultation suggested the government's plans could lead to a 10.8% reduction in livestock numbers and an 11% cut in labor needed on Welsh farms.

Ministers have since said that analysis was outdated and did not take into account all parts of its new funding scheme.

But the figures sparked big protests and go-slow tractor demonstrations across Wales.

Supporters say the scheme's rules are more flexible than they appear - and are vital to help Wales fight climate change and nature loss.

For instance, fields used to graze livestock can count towards the 10% habitat target if they have a diverse range of grasses and wildflowers.

And native trees or woodland on farms can count towards both the 10% trees and habitat targets.

But the feeling from farmers at the Senedd was there was a disconnect between their livelihoods and the decisions being made in Cardiff Bay.

Abi Reader, NFU Cymru deputy president, said people had come from the “hills and mountains, from the valleys and coastal areas”.

“We are completely united,” she said, as she branded the subsidy plans “crazy”.

The discontent among farmers in Wales has its roots in many issues besides the new subsidy regime - from the handling of bovine TB to the imposition of stricter regulations on the spreading of manure.

NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said in his 12 years as a union official he had “never witnessed such anguish in rural communities”.

“There's a sense that they've not been listened to, not considered, not valued,” he said.

He called on the Welsh government to reset its relationship with the countryside, and suggested the introduction of the new funding scheme may need to be paused.