Wales' Sustainable Farming Scheme: What the Universal Actions Mean for You — and How We Can Help

If you've been keeping a close eye on the Welsh Government's Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), you're not alone. Across South Wales and beyond, farmers and rural landowners are grappling with what the scheme means in practice — and for many, the biggest source of anxiety isn't the scheme itself, but the universal actions that come with it.

It's a concern we hear time and again. And it's a completely understandable one.

What Is the Sustainable Farming Scheme?

The SFS is the Welsh Government's flagship agricultural support scheme, designed to replace the previous Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and transition Welsh farming towards a model that balances food production with environmental sustainability.

At its heart, the scheme is built around three tiers of activity:

• Universal actions — a baseline set of requirements that all participating farmers must meet

• Optional actions — additional activities farmers can choose to undertake for further payment

• Collaborative actions — landscape-scale activities carried out in partnership with neighbouring landowners

Participation in the universal actions is the foundation of the scheme. Without meeting these requirements, farmers cannot access the wider financial support on offer.

The Universal Actions: What's Actually Required? 

This is where the pressure tends to build. The Universal Actions are mandatory for scheme participants and cover a broad range of farm management and environmental practices. The current requirements include:

• Soil health – including soil testing and management planning

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) – encouraging a more targeted approach to pesticide use

• Habitat maintenance – including the requirement for holdings to maintain at least 10% habitat cover

• Animal health and welfare standards

• Record keeping and reporting obligations

For many farmers, the 10% habitat requirement has generated the most questions. What counts as eligible habitat? How is the percentage calculated? What options are available if a holding falls below the threshold? The introduction of temporary habitat creation measures means that farms with insufficient existing habitat may still be able to meet the requirement without taking productive land permanently out of use. These are exactly the kinds of questions where having the right professional advice can make all the difference.

Don't Let Compliance Uncertainty Hold You Back

It's worth being clear: the SFS is still evolving. The Welsh Government has been consulting with the farming industry, and the final details of the scheme — including the precise mechanics of the universal actions — are subject to ongoing refinement.

That uncertainty is, in itself, part of the challenge. It's difficult to plan confidently when the goalposts are still being defined.

What we'd encourage every farmer to do right now is start the conversation early. Understanding where your holding currently stands — in terms of tree cover, habitat features, soil health, and land use — puts you in a far stronger position to adapt, whatever the final scheme requirements look like.

How Herbert R Thomas Can Help

Herbert R Thomas has been advising the agricultural and rural community of Glamorgan since 1926. That's nearly a century of working alongside Welsh farmers through changing policies, shifting markets, and evolving land management practices.

Our agricultural team understands the SFS not just as a policy document, but as something that will have a very real impact on your livelihood, your land, and your long-term plans. Whether you're trying to understand how the universal actions apply to your specific holding, thinking about how the scheme affects the value of your land, or considering your options for the future — we're here to help you think it through.

We can assist with:

• Rural land valuations — understanding how the SFS may affect the value of your agricultural holding

• Land management advice — helping you assess your current position against the universal action requirements

• Sales and acquisitions — if the scheme prompts you to review the scale or structure of your farming operation

• Estate and succession planning — ensuring your long-term plans align with the new policy landscape

Get in Touch

If the Sustainable Farming Scheme is raising questions for you — about compliance, about land value, or simply about what your next step should be — we'd love to have a conversation.

📞 01446 776374 📧 agri@hrt.uk.com 🌐 www.hrt.uk.com

Our agricultural team is based in Cowbridge and works across South and South West Wales. We're open Monday to Friday, 9:00am–5:30pm

Herbert R Thomas — trusted rural advisors since 1926.