This motion comes after the Welsh Labour Government’s economic impact assessment predicted severe losses for the agriculture industry due to the scheme.
The assessment, published on September 30, estimated the loss of 56,000 Welsh livestock, 1,163 jobs on Welsh farms, and a £76.3 million decrease in farm business income.
These figures add to the existing challenges faced by farmers in Wales, which include increasing costs, a family farm tax, and excessive regulation.
The Welsh Conservatives are urging the government to replace the scheme with one that is more beneficial for farmers, with a focus on food security and production.
The Welsh Government hailed the scheme when it was introduced in July, while one union called it a “generational milestone”.
The Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Samuel Kurtz MS, said: “Farmers are already under huge pressure from rising costs, Labour’s family farm tax, and the threat of overbearing red tape.
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“The last thing they need is a scheme that makes it even harder for them to farm, produce food and make a living.”
He added: “The Welsh Conservatives are clear; the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme does not work for farmers.
“It must be replaced with a scheme that has food security and production at its core.
“That’s why we’re putting this to a Senedd vote.”
The motion, which will be debated on Wednesday, states: “To propose that the Senedd: 1. Regrets that the Welsh Government’s economic impact assessment to the Sustainable Farming Scheme published on 30 September 2025 will result in an estimated: a) 56,000 Welsh livestock numbers lost; b) 1,163 jobs on Welsh farms lost; and c) £76.3 million lost in farm business income.
“2. Calls on the Welsh Government to scrap and replace the current Sustainable Farming Scheme.”
