Wales Pays Farmers to Restore Habitats!

Wales Pays Farmers to Restore Habitats!

As we delve into the cause of our climate change crisis, it’s pretty clear that agriculture is a massive contributor to the issue. In fact, The UN Climate Change Report detailed that a third of the world’s greenhouse gases track back to agricultural activity. Wowza!

But fear not Friday readers, this climate change news is of the best variety.

The Welsh government has taken this matter very seriously and is now setting an impressive (and inspiring) standard with their new long-awaited Agriculture Bill. 

On a mission to help protect nature and fight climate change, the passing of this bill has been marked as a ‘historic’ moment for Wales, and we simply couldn’t agree more! 

Let’s take a look at how this new legislation will ‘define farming' in Wales for a generation to come.

What’s the Bill About?

While this bill has been in development since 2016, it seems as though it couldn’t have come at a better time. With food affordability becoming more and more fragile, perhaps one of the most widely appreciated aspects of this bill is its aim to keep high-quality, sustainably farmed food accessible to the public. 

Of course, the environmental benefits are the most exciting details for us as we admire the movement. 

With a new subsidy scheme set to place a greener focus on Wales's agriculture scene, farmers’ compensation via public funding will see a massive change. Instead of purely focusing on how much land they have, rewards will be distributed based on environmental work and sustainable practices.

How cool is that?!

Essentially, this means that farmers will receive aid in taking steps to preserve nature, fight climate change, and make a massive difference towards a greener planet. A few examples of rewarded efforts include planting trees, restoring peat bogs, restoring wildlife habitats, and launching more sustainable methods for food production. 

In addition to this, bans have been placed on using tools like snares and glue traps. These methods have been deemed incompatible with the high animal welfare standard Wales is determined to reach and maintain. 

It’s fair to assume farmers are feeling the relief of this bill as the government pushes to keep farmers on their land for years to come in a much more sustainable way. 

Sustainable Agriculture for the Future

Let’s give credit where credit is due and send a massive high-five to our friends in Wales as they move to produce food more sustainably, support their local farmers, and tackle the climate emergency with a proactive approach. 

Security for farmers, affordable and sustainable food for the public, nurturing preservation for local nature, and climate change fighting efforts for the planet. This bill simply is a win, win, win, win, Wales. On ya mate!

We hope you enjoyed todays happy Earth news, and if you loved this one we think you'll love our blog about some ugly veggies that are filling bellies, not landfill. At least come for the pictures haha! 

Until next week GFZ's xox