i) Increase in the number of Glastir payments made early

More than 2,200 claims under Glastir schemes were paid in January 2022, representing 78% of all claims worth £26.2 million to Welsh farmers.

According to the Welsh Government, this has been possible following the introduction of BPS advance payments in October last year. This is part of the £66.7 million allocated to extend the Glastir schemes until December 2023.

ii) Iceland commits to freezing prices on 60 items until end of the year

Major retailer Iceland has reiterated its commitment to freeze prices on more than 60 items in its value range until the end of 2022.

It is believed that all retailers will be forced to raise their prices but all of Iceland’s £1 frozen lines will remain the same despite no price caps for energy prices for businesses, rising commodity prices and higher shipping and labour costs.

iii) Tesco expects supermarket prices to rise by 5%

The Chairman of Tesco, John Allen, has estimated that supermarket prices could rise by as much as 5% in the first quarter of 2022 due to rising energy prices.

Currently, around 2,100 of their products are at their lowest prices.

It’s that time of year again when the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) starts thinking about Single Application Forms (SAF). The application window opens on 1st March and the FUW is reminding its members that county staff are here to help and ready to take the stress of filling the form away.

The FUW provides this service exclusively to all paid-up members as part of their membership package, which has proved invaluable for thousands of members over the years - saving them time and a paperwork-headache.

The SAF completion process is probably the single most important form completion exercise being carried out by Welsh farmers since 2004, and the financial repercussions of errors on the forms are severe. FUW staff are not only well trained but very well practised in dealing with the complex application process.

Since the Welsh Government mandated that all applications should be done online, the FUW has focused on providing the best possible service to its members.

The FUW is encouraging its members and first time form fillers to contact their local office as soon as possible to book an appointment if they need help in filling out the form.

On 21st February 2022, the Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales confirmed the presence of avian influenza H5N1 at the following two premises:

A new case was confirmed at a commercial premises Near Welshpool, Montgomeryshire, Powys. A 3km Protection Zone, a 10km Surveillance Zone and 10km Restricted Zone have therefore been declared around the premises. Details of the measures within the disease control zones for this zone are outlined in the relevant disease declarations on Gov.Wales.

A new case was also confirmed at a commercial premises Near Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Powys. A 3km Protection Zone and 10km Surveillance Zone have been put in place. Part of the Surveillance Zone extends into England in a number of places and declarations have therefore been put in place in both Wales and England. A Restricted Zone of 10km has also been declared in Wales with the same measures as the Surveillance Zone. Details of the measures within the disease control zones for this zone are outlined in the relevant disease declarations on Gov.Wales.

Please note that the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) measures remain in place across GB.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has welcomed an announcement from HMRC that silage wrap will not be subject to agriculture packaging tax from 1st April 2022, as it has been recognised as essential for the fermentation of grass.

Without the concession, a tax of £200 tonne on all single use plastic packaging would have been introduced, adding to the financial burden placed on the industry already.

Input costs are at an all time high in terms of energy, fertiliser and fodder costs. With this in mind, HMRC’s decision to exclude silage wrap from the plastic packaging tax for agriculture is welcomed.