Agricultural Policy News

Agricultural Policy

Help shape a future Soil Policy for Wales for the sustainable management of soils

Agricultural Policy

The Welsh Government is developing a Soil Policy Statement to set out their position on agricultural soils. The Soil Policy Statement will include the opportunities, threats and challenges to achieve sustainable soil.

As 80% of Wales’ land area is used for agriculture it is important that farmers provide input to its development with their knowledge and expertise.

The Welsh Government would like to hear from farmers across Wales willing to take part in workshops with ADAS to understand your experience of soil management and your perspectives on the findings of the Soil Evidence Review.

Workshops will take place in August and September lasting up to 2 hours.

To register your interest and for more information, please click here.

Expression of interest window dates August 2022

Agricultural Policy

Scheme	Summary	Window dates
Glastir Derogations	Any farmer having difficulty meeting the requirements of their Glastir contract may request a derogation using their RPW Online account. A request for a derogation may be submitted for any option within a Glastir contract and will be considered on a case by case basis. Details of the option and field number should be provided, along with as much information as possible regarding the circumstances leading to the request. Supporting documentation may be required and requested in certain circumstances, depending on the nature of the request. HOWEVER, as things stand they will have to forfeit the relevant payment on that parcel.
Woodland Creation Planning Scheme	The Woodland Creation Planning Scheme offers grants of between £1000 and £5000 to develop plans for new woodland creation. After a plan is successfully verified by NRW it will be eligible for Welsh Government funding for tree planting. More information here: https://gov.wales/woodland-creation-plan-scheme The design of the scheme is based on the pilot which was run last year. The scheme will be open throughout the year (subject to budget) with applications selected every 6 weeks. Funding for woodland creation will be available from August 2022, with windows opening every 3 months from then onwards (subject to budget).	Open until 31st December 2022
Organic Conversion Scheme	A scheme to support farmers to convert to organic production systems. There will only be one EOI window. The scheme will include a two year conversion payment. Payment rates will be based on current land use and production system. The entire CPH has to be included and requires a total five year commitment to organic management. More information: https://gov.wales/organic-conversion-scheme	18th July - 26th August 2022
Small Grants - Environment	Funding of up to £7,500 available for land managers and farming businesses in Wales for projects with beneficial environmental outcomes. The objectives of the scheme are to support the delivery of projects which benefit the environment under the themes of carbon, water, and landscape and pollinators. More information: https://gov.wales/small-grants-environment	24th August 2022 - 5th October 2022
National Forest for Wales - The Woodland Investment Grant (TWIG)	The scheme is once again open to landowners and managers, including not-for-profit organisations. It will provide support for people to create new woodlands and/or enhance and expand existing woodlands in accordance with the UK Forestry Standard. Grants of £40,000 to £250,000 and up to 100% capital and revenue funding. Full details can be found here. All projects that involve woodland creation over two hectares need to apply to the Welsh Government’s Woodland Creation Planning Scheme before applying for TWIG grant funding.	Project Enquiry Form closes 14th October 2022
Growing for the Environment (Spring sown crops)	Growing for the Environment is a grant scheme available to all eligible farmers in Wales. The scheme supports the growing and utilisation of crops, which can result in improvements in the environmental performance of a farm business. The scheme objectives are to support farmers to: Reduce carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. Adapt to climate change and build greater resilience into farm businesses. Improve water quality and reduce flood risks. Contribute towards a reversal in the decline of Wales’ native biodiversity. Crops and activity supported through the Growing for the Environment scheme have been pre-identified as offering clear and quantifiable benefits to the environment and farm business. The maximum grant award is £5,000. The minimum grant award is equivalent to the payment rate for 1 ha of eligible crop. Your application may exceed the maximum grant. If your EoI is selected, the related claim will be capped to the maximum £5,000. More information: https://gov.wales/growing-for-the-environment	3rd October - 11th November 2022

IMPORTANT

There will be no extensions to the claim deadlines for any of the above schemes due to budget allocation constraints. Consequently, the Welsh Government is allowing people to place orders for items once they have received an offer of a contract and before accepting the contract.

They advise that orders or at least enquiries are made during this period to check if items will be delivered in time or work completed within the timescale. If it can’t be and written evidence is provided to confirm the reasons why, applicants can withdraw from the scheme and will not be excluded from future rounds.

If they accept the contract and then can’t meet the conditions within the relevant timescale they could be excluded from future rounds of the scheme.

Sustainable Farming Scheme Outline Proposals ‘on the right track’ says FUW

Agricultural Policy

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) says the latest Welsh Government Sustainable Farming Scheme proposals are ‘on the right track’ but that numerous concerns exist around some of the details.

The ‘Sustainable Farming Scheme Outline Proposals for 2025’ document, published by the Welsh Government on 6th July, will form the basis of future discussions about the scheme that is set to replace Wales’ Basic Payment and Glastir schemes from 2025.

The FUW welcomes those areas of the proposals that have changed to reflect the concerns the Union highlighted in response to previous proposals.

FUW calls on UK Governments to tackle five key areas to provide relief for consumers and tackle food and energy security

Agricultural Policy

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has launched a ‘five point plan’ for UK Governments which it believes should be implemented to tackle the impacts of the Ukraine war and other factors on farmers, food producers and consumers.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has exacerbated ongoing impacts caused by the pandemic and Brexit, causing major economic pressures for consumers and businesses and a global food emergency.

Many of the global influences currently impacting producers and consumers will be outside the control of UK Governments, but there is nevertheless scope for significant actions that genuinely take farmers’ long term interests into consideration while also helping in the short term.

UK-NZ trade deal more than 40 times worse for UK sheep industry than EU-NZ deal

Agricultural Policy

The increase in New Zealand’s import quota for sheep meat in year one of new trade agreements signed by the UK and EU is more than forty times higher per head of population in the UK compared with the European Union, demonstrating the failure of the UK Government to protect UK agriculture in trade negotiations, says the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW).

An EU-New Zealand trade deal recently agreed in principle would allow an additional 5,429 tonnes of sheep meat to be imported duty-free into the EU in year one of the agreement, whilst the equivalent figure for the UK in the deal announced in February this year is 35,000 tonnes.

The UK increase in duty free quota for New Zealand sheep meat would be almost six and a half times higher in year one than what has been negotiated by the EU.