Please click here to access the Welsh Government’s Winter Update giving the latest information on a range of agricultural and rural issues for farmers and stakeholders.

Glastir Advanced (GA) Contracts that commenced in 2013 and 2014 may be offered a ‘renewed’ contract (until 31 December 2019) after their 5 year contract period has expired. No Capital Works will be included in the renewed contracts, and certain options will be removed, added or upgraded.

Further details are available on the Welsh Government website , including a FAQ guide.

Please remember that all 2017 Capital Works listed in your Glastir Advanced Contract have to be completed by 31 December 2017 and claimed via your RPW online account no later than 28 February 2018. Any outstanding works items (scheduled for completion between 2013 and 2015) should be undertaken, completed and claimed for before the end of your contract, but these will not be paid.

If you require further assistance with your online claims, please contact us here at CARA and we’ll be pleased to help!

The Euro exchange rate has been set for calculating 2017 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 = £0.89470

In 2016, the exchange rate for BPS was €1 = £0.85228

In 2015, the exchange rate for BPS was €1 = £0.73129

A £40m scheme will be available to farmers to help them reduce their carbon emissions and to improve their resilience and competitiveness, including through diversification. It will distribute financial support of up to £12,000 at a 40% grant rate over a four-year period. Farmers across Wales will be able to invest in around 80 items linked to:

• Animal health, genetics and performance
• Crop management
• Energy efficiency
• Resource efficiency
• ICT.

The first application window is expected to open from April 2017 and further advice and guidance on how to apply will be made available here and as well as on the Welsh Government website.

Welsh farmers can access a wide range of support available through Farming Connect. With accredited training, discussion groups, mentoring, advisory service and much more, there has never been a better time to benefit from business support and/ or technical advice. Many services are fully funded, others are subsidised by up to 80% to a maximum of €1500.

For details of how to register and information on eligibility criteria, visit the Farming Connect website or call their Service Centre on 0845 000 813.

We produce benchmark data for all categories of farm, and customers find it to be one of the most useful pieces of data produced. The results of benchmarking allow farm businesses to identify areas of weakness and opportunity.

If you are interested in becoming part of the benchmark, contact us. All data is collected by our own farm recorders, using Farmplan software. An annual report is given, with the benchmark data and advice on areas to examine. The cost of this service depends on enterprise size, but offers fantastic value for money, and a proper business MOT.

Whole Farm Plan – provides one to one subsidised support to help you develop/ run you farm business more efficiently.

This is open to all businesses registered with Farming Connect and all eligible businesses can apply for up to 80% fundi

ng towards a whole farm plan.

This consultancy can be used for whole farm planning, budgets & cashflows, technical advice, succession planning etc, and can be tailored to your indvidual needs.

If you are interested in recieving advice through Farming Connect, please call the Cara office on 01570 471516.