The Single Application Form (SAF) 2017 will be available to complete ONLY via RPW Online from 6th March 2017. The deadline for submitting your SAF, together with all the necessary supporting documents is midnight, Monday 15 May 2017. Any applications and documents submitted from 16 May up to and including Friday 9 June 2017 will receive late claim penalties.

SAF 2017 must be used to claim payment for the following Schemes:-

• Basic Payment Scheme(BPS), including Greening and Young Farmer
• Glastir Entry (GE)
• Glastir Advanced (GA)
• Glastir Organic (GO)
• Glastir Woodland Management (GWM)
• Improved Land Premium (ILP)
• Glastir Woodland Creation Premium (GWCP)
• Glastir Woodland Creation Maintenance (GCM)
• Glastir Woodland Creation Premium (GCP)

You must also complete the SAF if you wish to apply to the National Reserve for an allocation of BPS Entitlements.

As in previous years, CARA staff will be on hand to help you complete your SAF, and you will therefore need to contact the office on 01570 471516 to arrange an appointment as soon as possible.

Farmers can transfer their BPS entitlements by sale, purchase or lease with or without land or via inheritance. Forms must be completed using your RPW Online account before midnight 2 May 2017 in order to make a claim on those entitlements on SAF 2017. Any transfers submitted after that date will not be available to claim on until SAF 2018.

If you are looking to buy or lease entitlements or have some to sell, please contact us here at CARA as soon as possible.

If you wish to be considered for a Glastir Advanced 2018 Contract, you will need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) via your RPW Online account. The new round opens on 28 February 2017 and closes at midnight on 31 March 2017.

Further details are available on the Welsh Government website and if you require further assistance with your EOI, please contact us here at CARA.

Winter Update

The Welsh Government has produced a Winter Update giving farmers and stakeholders the latest information on agricultural and rural issues.

A small number of changes have been made to the Cross Compliance Farmers’ Factsheets to reflect new requirements and good practice. They are now available to view on the Welsh Government website.

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.

If your holding is part of a Glastir Entry or Glastir Advanced Contract and you are due to complete capital works in 2016, please ensure that they MUST BE COMPLETED no later than 31 December 2016.

Capital Works can only be claimed via your RPW on-line account and this must be done no later than 28 January 2017. Step by step instructions on how to complete your online claim can be found on the Welsh Government website, or if you require assistance please contact us here at CARA on 01570 471516.

The South Wales Dairy Conference will be held at the Nant-y-ffîn Hotel, Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire on Tuesday 7th February 2017.

For further details of speakers, and to register an interest in attending please visit the event’s new website http://dairyconference.wales/

The Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the 2nd theme window ( Water Quality and Quantity) opened on Monday 12 December and will be open until 11:59pm on Monday 23 January 2017. Although it is called the Glastir Small Grants Scheme, you don’t need to be part of Glastir to apply. However, land parcels that are currently included in a Glastir Advanced Contract are not eligible.

Maximum support of £7,500 per farming business is available during each window, and for this 2nd window will include the following main capital works:-

• Hedge Laying and planting
• Hedge coppicing and replanting
• Planting trees and shrubs
• Cross drains and kerbing
• Rainwater guttering and downpipes on farm buildings
• Pond restoration
• Hardcore of gateways
• Relocation of sheep dip and holding pens

Farmers will have until 30 November 2017 to complete the work. EOI’s can only  be made via the RPW On-line facility. If you need assistance with you application, please contact us here at CARA on 01570 471516.

A further EOI window is scheduled to open in March 2017 for the theme of ‘Landscape and Pollinators’, with supported activities including small scale tree planting, restoration of hedgerows, dry stone walling and orchard tree planting.

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.