A bus sponsored by Monmouthshire Livestock Markets took farmers from Raglan down to Cardiff last week to join the protest outside the Senedd against the plans for a new Sustainable Farming Scheme.

Mandy Phillips, a pig breeder near Cross Ash joined her husband Andrew and others to show their solidarity with the estimated 3,000 other farmers who made what has been described as the biggest protest outside the Senedd.

She told the Beacon: “we were all there trying and doing our bit standing up for not just the Welsh farmer, but the British”.

Her friend, Sarah Jones also travelled down with husband Mike and her brother Steve Heath to campaign against the plans to force farmers to give up 20 percent of their ground to make way for environmental habitat.

“There were some incredible speakers and it was amazing to see so many farmers of all ages and generations coming out from all over Wales to stand together and say enough is enough,” she added.

Senedd member Peter Fox MS said that the Welsh Conservatives brought forward a Senedd Motion calling on the Welsh Government to scrap the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) proposals.

“According to the Welsh Government’s own economic impact assessment, the SFS will result in a 122,200 reduction in Welsh livestock numbers, 5,500 jobs being lost, and £199m loss to Wales’ economy.

“The Welsh Conservative debate calls on the Welsh Government to revisit the requirement for each farm to have 10 percent tree cover and scrap the current SFS proposals and to re-engage with the farming sector to develop a new scheme that has the support of the farming community”.

Joining Welsh Conservative politicians at the protest, was well-known celebrity farmer Gareth Wyn Jones, Nigel Owens, The FUW and NFU.

Commenting on the debate, Peter Fox said: “It is clear why so many farmers have come out in protest against the way in which they have been treated.

“The government’s own impact assessment shows the devastating impact the Sustainable Farming Scheme would have with huge job losses, vast reductions in livestock numbers and devastating cuts to farm incomes.

“The proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme is simply not fit for purpose and must be reworked for the sake of our rural economy, our food security and our Welsh culture.

“I hope today allows us all to turn an important corner in finding a truly sustainable future for Welsh Farming.”

Local MS, Laura Anne Jones joined the thousands of farmers from across Wales in protesting against the proposals in the scheme.

““It’s clear that the current proposals are not fit for purpose and will only lead to more anger, upset and worry for the farmers we rely so heavily on, as well as future generations.

“Many of whom were outside in the protests today as it is their livelihoods, their future that the Welsh Labour Government are negatively affected with these proposals,” she said

Welsh Government figures state that the new Sustainable Farming Scheme could potentially mean 200 million in economic losses, over 120,000 in livestock losses and 5,500 job losses.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, outgoing First Minister Mark Drakeford and Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths announced a list of actions they would take following talks with farming leaders, including considering an “evidence-based review” of the ways farms can help soak in planet-warming carbon emissions and carrying out updated economic analysis of the new post-Brexit subsidy scheme.

Comments can be submitted at www.gov.wales/sustainable-farming-scheme-consultation