Help farmers help nature!

Ross Hoddinott/2020VISION

Nature-friendly farming

Restoring wildlife and the natural world includes allowing gardens to grow wilder, greening cities, and ensuring nature reserves can flourish. But the way our food is grown, and how our fields are farmed, also have a huge impact on the natural world.

Did you know that around 80% of Wales’ land is used for agriculture?

By shifting away from intensive agricultural practices and towards regenerative, nature-friendly methods, farming has huge potential to help nature recover.

In turn, global food production is reliant on thriving natural systems to provide healthy soils, safe and plentiful water, beneficial pollinators, and a stable climate.

Climate change is already damaging Wales' food production. The health of our soil is decreasing, limiting the amount of food which can be grown, whilst warmer winters are increasing the spread of crop diseases.

Nature-friendly farming is the answer to these growing threats.

We need to help farmers help nature

The Sustainable Farming Scheme, referred to as ‘SFS’, is the new post-Brexit funding scheme for farmers and land managers in Wales. If designed and delivered correctly, SFS could be a valuable tool for promoting more nature-friendly farming, which would help to halt wildlife declines and bring nature back across Wales.

Transitioning to more nature-friendly farming would not only be good for nature, but it could also help farmers to increase their profits and boost farm resilience to threats like climate change. We want the SFS to support farmers to bring about nature’s recovery and adapt to climate change. But SFS and wider policy supports, such as on advice and innovation, are not perfect and we need to be putting strong pressure on the Welsh Government to make improvements, enhance the budget and have a clear pathway to increase ambition over time.

What support do farmers need?

The Wildlife Trusts believe the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) and wider agricultural policy must prepare us for the crises of the 21st century – the rising cost of living, climate change, and nature loss. We want to see:

Farm payment schemes which go further and faster in supporting farmers to bring nature back into their farm businesses.
Policy changes that help to end the dependency on pesticides and artificial fertilisers.
Stronger safeguards to reduce pollution in our waterways. Pollution from farming is now the major cause of pollution in our most iconic rivers in Wales such as the River Wye.
Evidence that farming policies will deliver against the Welsh Government’s environmental targets. This includes a legal requirement to halt the decline of nature by 2030, a target to reach net zero by 2050, and the newly signed Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework that stipulates 30% of land and sea must be protected for nature by 2030.

What can I do?

We need to show the Welsh Government that there is overwhelming public support for nature-friendly farming.

Show your support for nature-friendly farming by getting in touch with your Member of the Senedd (MS). You can send an email or write a letter. If you have the time, the best thing you can do is speak with your MS over the phone or meet them in person. If you’re tight on time but want to make a difference, you can tweet your MS.

Email your MS using our tool

What to say to MS's?

Talking points

Whether you write to your MS, talk to them over the phone or meet them in person, it’s important to be clear about what your concerns are, and what you are asking them to do about it.

It’s best to put your concerns into your own words. Talk about why this issue matters to you. For example, you might miss hearing skylarks regularly or you might have noticed the huge decline of insects over your lifetime. Share your story: MS’s love personal stories from constituents.

Talk about why you are concerned about the key issues, including:

Biodiversity loss and climate change are the biggest medium and long terms threats to UK food production.
There is no such thing as food security if nature is in decline.
The Welsh Government needs to ensure its farming reforms deliver for the environment as promised.
The Welsh Government must ensure that SFS pays good rates for ambitious and effective nature-friendly farming practices.

Once you have explained what your concerns are, you need to give your MS a clear ask of what you want them to do. The Wildlife Trusts recommend:

Ask them to read The Wildlife Trusts MS briefing. It provides more detail on the issues, relevant Welsh Government policies and our recommendations. It is short, simple and gives them the key information they need to feel confident asking about the subject. Download it here.
Ask them to speak out in support of nature-friendly farming, in the Senedd and in writing.
MS's can ask a question in the Senedd
MS's can write to the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, with their concerns and questions
We want them to ask for assurance from the Welsh Government that SFS will deliver on the Welsh Government’s environmental targets and doesn’t only fund business as usual. They need to ask for assurance that SFS contains ambitious standards that will deliver for people and nature.
Encourage them to talk to local farmers about the support they need to take up nature-friendly methods.

How do I write to my MS?

You can email or write a letter to your MS.

Email your MS using our tool

To find out who your MS is, and see their contact details, search your postcode using the link below.

Find your MS

MSs are very busy people, so don't be offended if they don't get back to you straight away.

How do I meet with my MS?

Your best option for meeting your MP is to ask to meet them in your constituency. You may find it easiest to meet them during one of their constituency surgeries. This is when your MP meets their constituents to talk about things affecting them and for people to raise concerns about politics or local issues. They are even more likely to be able to meet with you while parliament is in recess.

How can I make my meeting effective?

MS's want to hear from you, but they are pressed for time so don't expect meetings to last too long. Generally, appointments will last around 10-15 minutes – it helps to have your key messages ready.

Watch this recording of a workshop ran by our Campaigns Officer Chris, although he talks about writing to MP’s the same applies to MS’s as he covers everything you need to know, from practical steps to how to be persuasive. By the end of the recording, you'll feel ready to talk to your MS.

Let us know if you hear back from your MS

We’d love to hear if your MS replies to you or if you manage to meet them. Let us know by emailing us at info@wtwales.org

“For decades, the choice between food or nature has been presented as binary, with the two competing demands for land often seen as at odds with each other. However, this could not be further from the truth. The main threats to food security in the UK are climate change and ecological breakdown, and so nature’s recovery is critical to underpinning resilient and profitable food systems.”

Craig Bennett
Chief Executive, The Wildlife Trusts