The Welsh Government has agreed with three farm assurance schemes that their members can use membership to meet part of the animal health requirement of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). In a written statement on 9 October 2026, Llyr Gruffydd MS, Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, said agreements had been reached with Farm Assured Welsh Livestock (FAWL), Red Tractor and Pasture for Life.

The statement extends an arrangement announced on 27 September 2026, which covered FAWL members only, under an agreement with Welsh Lamb and Beef Producers (WLBP). At that time the Welsh Government said it was working with Red Tractor and Pasture for Life and expected to confirm further arrangements in the coming weeks.

What changes for 2026

Universal Action 12 (UA12) covers animal health and welfare in the SFS. Under transitional arrangements for the 2026 scheme year, SFS participants who are members of FAWL, Red Tractor or Pasture for Life can declare that membership through the SFS Universal Dashboard as evidence that they have met the “Measure” and “Plan” steps of the Animal Health Improvement Cycle (AHIC).

Members must still complete all other applicable UA12 requirements, including the relevant animal welfare requirements and the Biosecurity Assessment of Incoming Stock (BAIS). Farmers who are not in a participating scheme are unaffected and must follow the published UA12 guidance and complete all applicable requirements by the end of December.

Plans for 2027

The statement says the agreements also provide the basis for longer-term integration of the AHIC and BAIS with farm assurance requirements from 2027, which is still being developed with the three schemes. The Welsh Government says its aim is to reduce duplication and administrative burden for farmers and veterinary professionals while keeping the animal health and welfare outcomes UA12 is designed to deliver. The move follows an early recommendation from the Review of the Bureaucratic Burden on Family Farms, and the government says it is open to talks with other recognised assurance schemes that may wish to take part.

This agreement will reduce duplication for farmers while maintaining the high standards of animal health and welfare we expect under the Sustainable Farming Scheme.

Llyr Gruffydd, Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, on the FAWL agreement, 27 September 2026

According to Farmers Weekly, farming unions broadly welcomed the approach when the FAWL arrangement was announced, while the British Veterinary Association warned against treating farm assurance as fully equivalent to UA12. Farmers Weekly also reported that the approach follows an announcement at the Royal Welsh Show in July. The Welsh Government has not published how many SFS participants belong to each scheme, or any estimate of the time or cost saved.

TAD’s reading

  • For assurance bodies: Recognition inside the SFS makes membership of FAWL, Red Tractor and Pasture for Life more useful to Welsh livestock farmers, and sets a precedent for private assurance standards carrying parts of a public scheme’s conditions from 2027.
  • For farm vets: Health planning already done for assurance can now count towards the SFS, which is the duplication the government wants to remove. The BVA’s position means the detail of the 2027 integration will be watched closely by the profession.
  • For farm businesses: The December deadline for the remaining UA12 tasks, including BAIS, is unchanged, so in 2026 the saving is limited to two AHIC steps.