Across the UK, projects which work towards creating resilient rural communities can now apply for grant funding of up to £10,000 from The Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF).

Since its establishment in 2010, the PCF has awarded over £10 million to more than 350 projects, including £120,000 worth of grants to 62 rural communities to tackle the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Previously funded projects can be viewed here.

Applications can be made by completing a short eligibility questionnaire and an application form here: https://www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/grant-giving-programme/grant-programme

Applications close on 3rd November 2020 at midday and projects must be completed by 31st March 2022.

Barclays has teamed up with Nigel Owens MBE to launch a new campaign towards raising awareness amongst consumers on the benefits of supporting farmers to become carbon net zero, in line with a £250 million package for supporting Agri-Tech solutions.

As part of their commitment to supporting farmers when investing into Agri-Tech projects, Barclays are training all of their 130 agriculture managers across the UK in sustainability and future agricultural policy.

In order to access help and a loan from the £250 million pot, the farming business must show that the particular project will increase efficiency and sustainability through the use of technology, information or improved infrastructure, such as projects involving carbon sequestration, carbon assessment or soil health.

For more information and eligibility criteria, please visit here.

As a reminder, 2020 Basic Payments will be calculated using the same exchange rate that was applied in 2019 - €1 = £0.89092 - and be paid in sterling only.

In previous years, the Financial Discipline Mechanism was applied by the EU to help manage the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget. In 2019, this meant a 1.43 percent reduction applied to each and every payment, however, this will not be applied in 2020.

The final 2020 payment rates will become available in November once the number of claimed entitlements have been totalled.

The Welsh Government Export Team has produced a set of webinars aimed towards supporting Welsh exports to prepare for the 1st January.

The four key topics include:

• Brexit - Understanding Rules of Origin
• Brexit - Working with agents and distributors
• Brexit - Your exports and Free Trade Agreements, what next?
• Customs Declarations, post Brexit

More information on these topics can be found here.

These webinars can be accessed via the Business Wales Export Zone or through the Business Wales YouTube channel.