Farm union asks Wales minister to raise October advance payments
The Farmers' Union of Wales has asked the Welsh Government to increase the farm support advance payments due in October, saying a difficult growing season, Bluetongue and rising costs have left some businesses short of cash.
Farm support requests
- October advance
- 70%
- Closed period starts
- 15 Oct
- Annual SFS funding
- £340m
- Universal layer
- £238m
Union representatives raised the request during a meeting with Rural Resilience and Sustainability Minister Llyr Gruffydd in Cardiff on Tuesday. The scheduled advance is 70% of a farm's support payment. FUW did not say what higher percentage it wants, and its account of the meeting does not say the minister agreed to a change.
Bluetongue vaccination or winter fodder
FUW president Ian Rickman said some farmers were choosing between paying to vaccinate animals against Bluetongue and buying extra forage for winter. He linked that pressure to fodder shortages after prolonged dry weather and called a larger October advance a way to improve short-term cashflow.
Call for slurry derogation
The union also asked for a blanket derogation from the start of the closed period for spreading slurry and other organic manure. FUW says the restriction runs from 15 October to 15 January on most grassland soil types. It argues that drought delayed spreading and silage work, leaving some farms needing more time before winter.
The Welsh Government already allows farmers affected by extreme weather to request temporary Sustainable Farming Scheme derogations through Rural Payments Wales. Applicants must give details and supporting evidence. FUW is asking for a broader measure covering the start of the closed period, rather than relying only on individual requests.
The wider support budget
The Welsh Government has guaranteed £340 million a year for the Sustainable Farming Scheme for three years to March 2030. That includes £238 million a year for the Universal layer and £102 million for Optional and Collaborative support.
What happens next
FUW also asked for a timetable for longer-term changes intended to make the Universal layer more practical in 2027. No new payment rate, blanket slurry derogation or timetable was announced in the material checked before publication.