The Welsh Government is pressing ahead with its plans to require every farm in Wales to have at least 10% of tree cover to be eligible for payments.

All farms in Wales will have to plant at least 10% of their acreage in trees to qualify for public funding through the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).

NFU Cymru said it was “extremely concerned and disappointed” by the plans.

The union was responding to Welsh rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths’ statement to the Senedd earlier this month on the development of the SFS, which is set to replace the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and Glastir from 2025.

The Welsh Government has set tree planting targets of 43,000 hectares by 2030, with 180,000 hectares by 2050.

In her statement, Ms Griffiths acknowledged that flexibility would be required on the tree cover requirement, with areas unsuitable for tree planting and those being considered for exclusion from the total area used to calculate the 10%.

These include existing inappropriate semi-natural habitats, such as designated sites and deep peat, unplantable features including scree and rock outcrops, and tenanted land where tenants do not have the authority to plant trees.

The Welsh Government has set tree planting targets of 43,000 hectares by 2030, with 180,000 hectares by 2050.

NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said the 10% tree cover target presented a “very real barrier’’ to scheme participation.

"In our response to the SFS outline proposals, NFU Cymru highlighted the broad range of issues associated with the 10% tree cover and 10% habitat targets,’’ he said.

“Farmers will be prepared to plant hedges, shelterbelts, streamside corridors and field corners on appropriate areas of their farm but will not plant trees on their productive land."

The final consultation on the SFS scheme is due to be published later this year, with the final scheme announced in 2024 for implementation in 2025.

Mr Jones said it would be “vital’’ that the final consultation provided more detail on what exactly farmers would need to do and what they can expect to be paid.

The Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) said that food production and economic viability had to be considered equally to the environmental aspects of SFS scheme.

FUW president Ian Rickman insisted that further concessions would be needed to avoid requiring agricultural land that is important for food production and the sustainability of individual farm business to be planted with trees.