Welsh farmers win higher payments and extra month to spread slurry

Welsh farmers facing mounting cash-flow and slurry-storage pressures after an exceptionally dry summer have been handed higher advance payments and an extra month to spread slurry.

The Welsh Government has increased advance payments under the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) Universal Layer and Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) from 70% to 80% of each farm’s estimated eligible claim value.

It will also bring forward legislation allowing slurry and manure spreading to continue until 15 November 2026, extending the normal deadline for many farms by a month. The change will apply to this spreading period only.

The announcement comes just a day after the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) urged Rural Resilience and Sustainability Minister Llyr Gruffydd to increase October advance payments and provide greater flexibility around agricultural pollution rules.

During a meeting in Cardiff on Tuesday, 22 September, the union called for immediate measures to ease pressure on farm businesses following a season affected by drought, disease pressures and rising costs.

The FUW had specifically asked the Welsh Government to increase the 70% advance payments to help short-term cash flow. It had also sought greater flexibility over the slurry-spreading closed period, warning that exceptionally dry conditions had disrupted normal farm operations and prevented slurry from being spread at the usual time.

Under the measures announced on Wednesday, eligible farmers will receive 80% of their estimated SFS Universal Layer or BPS claim from 14 October, up from the usual 70%. Balance payments are scheduled to begin from 11 December, subject to the relevant validation, eligibility checks and inspections.

The Welsh Government said the dry summer had significantly reduced grass growth, disrupting normal cutting and grazing patterns. That left many farms unable to spread slurry when they normally would, raising concerns that storage levels are higher than usual heading into autumn.

The temporary relaxation will allow spreading on all soil and land types up to 15 November, giving farmers more time to reduce slurry stores before winter and lowering the risk of stores overtopping or failing.

Safeguards will remain in place to protect water quality, including a maximum of 30 cubic metres of slurry per hectare at any one time and a minimum three-week gap between applications. Poultry manure is excluded from the temporary change, while the closed period for manufactured nitrogen fertiliser is unaffected.

Mr Gruffydd said he had heard directly from farmers about the impact of the drought and wider pressures facing the sector, adding that they wanted “certainty, flexibility and support”.

“I've listened, and we're taking action,” he said.

The minister said the changes would give farmers greater flexibility to manage slurry stores safely, while the increase in advance payments would mean businesses received more of their expected support sooner.

The measures follow warnings from the FUW that some farmers are facing difficult financial choices as they prepare for winter. The union said shortages of fodder following the drought, combined with limited cash flow and concerns over bluetongue virus, meant some businesses were having to weigh up the cost of vaccination against buying additional winter forage.

FUW president Ian Rickman said increasing October advance payments “would go a long way to support farm businesses in the short-term”.

The union had also called for a blanket derogation at the start of the slurry closed period to allow farmers to apply nutrients and take later silage cuts where conditions permit.

Mr Rickman said the FUW recognised agriculture’s role in improving water quality and reducing pollution, but described the existing regulations as “too rigid, too costly and too bureaucratic”. He warned that farms could face serious problems if they were unable to reduce slurry levels sufficiently before winter.

The FUW has also raised concerns over bluetongue, winter fodder supplies and the need for lon