The Expression of Interest (EOI) for the 7th window (Water theme) will open on  27th July 2020 and will close at midnight on 4th September 2020. As in previous windows, an existing Glastir contract is NOT NECESSARY  to be eligible.

Glastir Small Grants is a standalone scheme providing a maximum of £7,500 funding per theme for capital works to carry out projects to help improve water quality and reduce the risk of flooding. Successful applicants will need to complete the capital works and submit their final claim by 31 March 2021.

Further details, including scheme rules are available by following the links below:-

GSG (Water) Capital Works Technical Guidance Booklet

GSG (Water) Payment Rates

GSG General Rules

GSG How to Apply

If you require further assistance with your application via your RPW on-line account, please contact us here at CARA on 01570 471516.

Pen-blwydd CARA yn 15 !   CARA 15-year Anniversary!

The CARA team would like to thank you for all your support and custom over the last 15 years. The Company was established on the 1^st July 2005, hence we have now been trading for 15 years, providing business services and advice to rural businesses across South and West Wales. When we started we were a team of 5 members of staff, and we have now more than doubled that figure to 12 members of staff.

 As some of you may be aware, we were planning on undertaking the 3 Welsh Peaks challenge today, on the anniversary of the Company, to raise funds for the Welsh Air Ambulance and Tir Dewi. This has been postponed in light of the current situation, however we will endeavour to complete the challenge as soon as is practically possible. For those of you who have already donated, we thank you, and assure you that your donations will be held onto until we have climbed the mountains!

 We wish to thank all our customers for their loyal support, kind hospitality and friendship over the years, and look forward to many more years of forging good working relationships.

 Kind Regards

John, Iwan, Wendy and all the CARA team.

Hoffai’r tim yn CARA ddiolch yn fawr ichi am eich cefnogaeth dros y pymtheg mlynedd diwethaf. Sefydlwyd y Cwmni ar y 1^af  o Orffennaf 2005, ac ers hynny rydym wedi bod yn darparu cyngor a gwasanaethau busnes i fusnesau gwledig ar draws De a Gorllewin Cymru.

Roedd 5 aelod o staff gan y cwmni yn y dyddiau cynnar, ond mae hynny wedi mwy na dwbli i 12 aelod o staff erbyn hyn. 

 Fel roedd nifer o ohonoch yn ymwybodol, roeddem wedi gobeithio cwblhau sialens y Tri Copa Cymreig, heddiw ar ddiwrnod penblwydd y Cwmni, i godi arian tuag at Ambiwlans Awyr Cymru a Tir Dewi. Bu’n rhaid inni ohirio hyn oherwydd yr amgylchiadau presennol, ond gobeithiwn gallu cwblhau’r sialens cyn gynted â bo modd. I’r rhai ohonoch sydd wedi cyfrannu yn barod, diolchwn ichi, a gallwn eich sicrhau y bydd yr arian yn ddiogel nes y byddwn wedi dringo’r mynyddoedd!

 Hoffwn ddiolch i’n holl gwsmeriaid am eu cefnogaeth ddi-ffuant, cyfeillgarwch a lletygarwch caredig dros y blynyddoedd, ac edrychwn ymlaen at ddyfodol disglair o weithio gyda’n gilydd. 

 Cofion Cynnes

John, Iwan, Wendy a’r tim yn CARA

Applications for the new Welsh Dairy Support Scheme will open on 18 June 2020, supporting farmers hardest hit by the recent exceptional market conditions due to COVID 19.

Eligible dairy farmers will need to demonstrate they have suffered a reduction of 25% or more in the average price paid for their milk in April and subsequently May, when compared to February 2020. Eligible farmers will be entitled to up to £10,000, to cover around 70% of their lost income to help them to continue to meet fixed costs and sustain production capacity without impacts on animal welfare and the environment. Milk Statements covering February, April and May 2020 will be required as supporting documentation.

Click here to access the Guidance/ How-to-apply Booklet produced by the Welsh Government.

The application will be made via RPW online, and the scheme application window will be open until 14 August 2020. Please contact us at CARA on 01570 471516 if you would like assistance with your application.

Menter a Busnes is working with Welsh Government to collect information from farmers across Wales to help shape a Sustainable Farming Scheme for Wales.

Can we please ask you to complete the short survey, and express an interest in participation in a one to one meeting or a group workshop- both will remain available until 30 June 2020.  It’s vital that farmers take this opportunity to share their opinion in the development of what will replace the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and  schemes such as Glastir.

Click here to follow a link to the Menter a Busnes website for further details.  

 There is a helpline farmers can complete the survey over the phone – 01970 636 297

Due to the current Corona Virus pandemic it is important to respect government policy and health advice. Although currently this does not prevent us from either visiting you, or you visiting the office, we must take the virus into account.

 For Single Application Form (SAF) purposes, our current advice is that we will complete appointments via telephone where possible. In cases where there are land changes, cropping or other complications, we will ask you to attend the office in person.

 For book keeping customers who are worried about visits, we can arrange to call by and pick up the information, it can be left in a safe place on the farm for us to collect.

 Where there is a necessity to meet face to face, please alert us if you have any of the reportable symptoms of Corona Virus. We may need to review the situation as time proceeds.

 If you wish to discuss the matter further please do not hesitate to phone the office or Iwan (07929164013), John (07929164011) or Wendy (07929164012)

 Many thanks for your cooperation.

 CARA Ltd

Following its success in 2019, Dwr Cymru / Welsh Water have relaunched their free and confidential pesticide disposal scheme for farmers and land managers in Wales.

It includes:

• Pesticides
• Herbicides / Weed killer
• Slug pellets
• Sheep dip
• Rodenticides

Food Centre Wales is a dedicated food technology centre offering advice, technical services and training to business start-ups, SME’s and existing food manufacturers. 

Whether you have a great idea to develop a new food product and don’t know where to start, or you are an established manufacturer who needs help troubleshooting or gaining accreditation, FCW has a team of expert Food Technologists who can help guide and support you through the whole process.

The centre boasts a dedicated Research and Development building with unrivalled facilities for food manufacturers to develop new and existing products. The technical facility is designed to enable food producers to manufacture products on a small industrial scale.  Expert Food Technologists are on hand to assist the use of all processing areas and equipment, as well as offer advice and guidance throughout.  They will help you scale up your recipes, train you in the use of the equipment, set processing conditions – all necessary for your manufacture.

Click here for contact details and a link to the FCW website.

Expressions of Interest for the 7th Window of the Farm Business Grant (FBG) will open on 2 March 2020 and close at midnight on 10 April 2020. It will provide farmers in Wales with a 40% contribution towards capital investments in equipment and machinery that have been pre-identified as offering clear and quantifiable benefits to farm enterprises. The minimum grant available is £3,000 and the maximum is £12,000.

Applications are to be made via your Rural Payments Wales on-line account. A full list of eligible items linked to animal health, genetics and performance; crop management; energy efficiency; resource efficiency and ICT are available on the Welsh Government website. The key requirements is that the farm must have registered with Farming Connect before submitting an application, and that a partner/director in the farming business must attend a Farming for the Future Roadshow organised by Farming Connect. Click here to book a place.

The dates for this round of Roadshows are as follows:-

03/03/2020 – Glasdir, Llanrwst LL26 0DF

05/03/2020 – Penglais School , Aberystwyth SY23 3AW

10/03/2020 –The Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot SA13 1PJ

It is a mandatory requirement that you attend one of these events in order to express an interest in the scheme If you would like further assistance with your application, please contact us here at CARA on 01570 471516.

Cross Compliance sets out the important regulatory baseline standards that all farmers must meet to receive Common Agricultur al Policy payments including Basic Payment Scheme or Rural Development land based schemes (e.g. Glastir) support in Wales.
The Verifiable Standards set out in detail the obligations of a farmer who receives payments under Cross Compliance and the Basic Payment Schemes. If you claim these payments, you must familiarise yourself with these standards.

Cross Compliance Verifiable Standards-2020

Any payment recipient found to be in breach of these standards will have their payment reduced, recovered or withheld.

The Euro exchange rate has been set for calculating 2019 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments.

BPS payments for Wales are set in Euros and then converted into sterling and the rate, an average of the European Central Bank exchange rates set in September will be:-

€1 = 0.89092

For reference, the rates during the last 4 years have been:-

2018  €1 = 0.89281

2017  €1 = 0.89470

2016 €1 = 0.85228

2015 €1 = 0.73129