The minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths, has announced that the implementation of the 170kg nitrogen per hectare whole farm limit will be further extended from 30 April to 31 October 2023.

Regulation 4 of the Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021, which sets an annual whole farm nitrogen limit from organic manure of 170kg per hectare, was initially delayed from 1 January to allow the Welsh Government time to consult on proposals for a licensing scheme to increase that limit.

The Welsh Government has decided to delay the implementation of the nitrogen limit to allow more time to consider responses to a government consultation on managing the application of livestock manures sustainably, and to give farmers more time once the outcome is announced.

 Farming Connect has a variety of application windows open as well as others opening soon:-

Advisory Service - Open now for applications. Up to 90% funding is available with a limit of £3000 per eligible business to access business and technical advice.

Mentoring - Open now for applications. Eligible mentees can access 15 hours of fully funded mentoring sessions with their chosen mentor. You may communicate via face-to-face visits, telephone conversations, video calling or email exchange.

Agri Academy - Open Now for applications closing 26th May.

As part of the Welsh Bovine TB Eradication Programme a contract was awarded to collect "badger found dead" carcases for post-mortem purposes.

Dead badgers collected for post-mortem will be used to assess the prevalence of Bovine TB in badgers in Wales.

If you find a dead badger, you should report it, giving the location of the badger:

• phone: 0808 1695110
• e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• website: www.bfd.wales

Expression of interest window dates May 2023