The Expression of Interest (EOI) window for Small Grants -Environment is 22 May to 30 June 2023.

This round of Small Grants -Environment will address the theme of Carbon, and is a standalone scheme providing a maximum of £7,500 funding per business for Capital Works Projects. These include:-

• Hedge coppicing and gapping up
• New hedge planting
• Hedge laying

(all the above 3 options with Fencing as supporting capital works)

Capital Works projects must be claimed for and submitted with before and after geo-tagged photos by 10/02/2024 (date to be confirmed when Contracts are issued).

Please click on the link below to view our Spring update. Topics covered include:-

• Basic Payment Scheme / Single Application Form 2023.
• The Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021 – NEW requirements from 01/01/23.
• Sustainable Farming Scheme -2025 – outline proposals

CARA Newsletter Spring 2023

From 01 January 2023, a number of added measures include:-

• Risk maps – these must be produced and maintained if you intend to spread manure and/or slurry on the holding. Maps should highlight areas on which spreading may cause a pollution risk,  including buffer zones, surface water and boreholes.
• Storage of Organic manure  – other than slurry, this must be stored in a vessel; covered building; on an impermeable surface; or a temporary field heap. Field heaps must be recorded on the risk map.
• Import/export of manure  – any manure imported/exported onto/off the holding must be recorded.
• Fertiliser Applications & Field Limits – fertiliser applied must not exceed specified crop limits, and the total amount of nitrogen in organic manure spread per Hectare on the holding  must not exceed 250kg for any 12-month rolling period.
  
• Records – a Nitrogen Management Plan must be established and records kept  for any nitrogen fertiliser application.

Please refer to the full guidance available from Welsh Government via the following link:-

https://www.gov.wales/water-resources-control-agricultural-pollution-wales-regulations-2021-guidance-farmers-and-land

If you require assistance from CARA with setting up /maintaining your records, please contact us on 01570 471516 or email office@carawales.co.uk

The 2nd Expression of Interest (EOI) window for Small Grants -Efficiency is 16 January to 24 February 2023.

This  is a capital scheme designed to help farmers in Wales to improve the technical, financial and environmental performance of their farm businesses.

The maximum grant award is £12,000 and the minimum is £1,000.

Previous participation in the Farm Business Grant will not affect your ability to apply for the maximum £12,000 grant.

The grant provides a maximum 40% contribution towards capital investments in equipment and machinery (excluding VAT), which can be demonstrated as offering clear and quantifiable benefits to farm businesses.

The grant will be a maximum 40% contribution against actual invoiced costs up to the maximum referenced costs as stated within the list of eligible capital items.

To view the Rules Booklet, please click here

and for a detailed list of Eligible Capital Items, please click here

The EOI is only available  on your RPW Online account. If you require further assistance with your application, please contact us here at CARA on 01570 471516 or email office@carawales.co.uk

The Expression of Interest (EOI) window for Small Grants -Environment is 09 January to 17 February 2023 (extended to 03 March 2023).

This round of Small Grants -Environment will address the theme of Hedgerow creation, and is a standalone scheme providing a maximum of £7,500 funding per business for Capital Works Projects.

The Hedgerow creation option is eligible in the following locations:

• Along existing field boundaries where no hedgerow had previously been located.
• Within fields, to establish new boundaries.
• On hedge banks (earth banked and stone-faced earth banks) where no woody hedge plant remnants exist along the entire length to be planted.
• On existing hedge banks where some woody hedge plant remnants exist. (There would be substantial gaps between these remnants, and they would not be subject to mechanical trimming)
• On existing hedge banks where there are some existing mature trees that are retained. (Not a continuous row of trees)
• To plant gaps within existing hedgerows which are 20m or longer.

This option is not eligible where:

• There are continuous woody hedge plants along the whole length of the proposed planting area.
• There is a continuous row of existing mature trees.
• Existing remnants of a hedge have been mechanically cut or trimmed to maintain a hedgerow feature.
• To plant gaps within existing hedgerows which are less than 20m.

New fencing will only be paid where it protects a newly planted section of hedgerow.

Capital Works projects must be claimed for and submitted with before and after geo-tagged photos by 31/03/2024.

The Expression of Interest (EOI) window for the Spring Sown Growing for the Environment is now open and will close on 18^th November 2022. The minimum grant award is equivalent to the payment rate for 1ha of eligible crop,and the maximum grant is £5,000. EOI’s must be submitted via your RPW account – for more detailed information, please refer to the Rules Booklet (link below), in particular pages 21 and 39-56 (Annex B).

Growing for Environment Rules Booklet

There are options within the Scheme to grow the following crops:-

Mixed leys – Payment Rate £276/ha
Establish a mixed ley, comprising minimum 5 grass species, 3 legume species and 3 herb species.
(Species not individual varieties within species)
Minimum seed rate 25 kg / ha.

Red clover or Lucerne – Payment £229/ha
Establish a Red clover or Lucerne ley.
Mixtures of red clover cultivars are permitted.
Red clover can be sown as a monoculture or in combination with ryegrass.

Protein crops – Payment £234/ha
Establish and harvest a protein crop with no weed control.
Eligible crops: Field beans, peas, lupins.

Unsprayed root or forage crop – Payment £118/ha
Establish an unsprayed root or forage crop.
Eligible crops: Swedes, Fodder beets, White turnips, Soft yellow turnips, Hardy yellow turnips, Brassicas, Forage rape, Chicory.

Unsprayed spring sown cereals – Payment £162/ha
Establish an unsprayed, spring-sown cereal crop.
Eligible crops: Barley, Wheat, Oats, Triticale, Rye.

Unsprayed spring cereals under sown with mixed ley – Payment £297/ha
Establish an unsprayed, spring-sown cereal crop,under sown with a mixed ley seed mixture.
Eligible crops: Barley, Wheat, Oats, Triticale, Rye.
Under sown mixed ley, comprising maximum 5 grass and a minimum of 3 legume and 3 herb species.

Unsprayed cereal and protein crop mix – Payment £173/ha
Establish an unsprayed, spring-sown cereal / protein crop mix.
Eligible crops: Barley, Wheat, Oats, Triticale, Rye / Field beans, peas, lupins, vetches.
Seed mixture to comprise 50% cereal and 50% protein seed by weight.

Unsprayed cereal and protein crop under sown with mixed ley –  Payment £302/ha
Establish an unsprayed, spring-sown cereal / protein crop mix.
Eligible crops: Barley, Wheat, Oats, Triticale, Rye /Field beans, peas, lupins,
Seed mixture to comprise of 50% cereal and 50% protein crop by weight.
Under sown mixed ley, comprising maximum 5 grass and a minimum of 3 legume and 3 herb species.

Under sowing maize (Spring /summer sown) – Payment £85/ha
Establish a cover crop within a growing maize crop.
Seed mixture to include a minimum of 2 crop species which are suitable for growing within the shade of a maize crop.

If you would like further assistance with your application, please contact us here at CARA on 01570 471516 or by email on ofice@carawales.co.uk

The Expression of Interest (EOI) window for Small Grants -Efficiency is 18 May to 29 June 2022.

This  is a capital scheme designed to help farmers in Wales to improve the technical, financial and environmental performance of their farm businesses.

The maximum grant award is £12,000 and the minimum is £1,000.

Previous participation in the Farm Business Grant will not affect your ability to apply for the maximum £12,000 grant.

The grant provides a maximum 40% contribution towards capital investments in equipment and machinery (excluding VAT), which can be demonstrated as offering clear and quantifiable benefits to farm businesses.

The grant will be a maximum 40% contribution against actual invoiced costs up to the maximum referenced costs as stated within the list of eligible capital items.

To view the Rules Booklet, please click below:-

https://gov.wales/small-grants-efficiency-general-rules-booklet-html

and for a detailed list of eligible capital items, please click here

The Small Grants – Efficiency scheme is only available to claim using the Grants Claim page on your RPW Online account. If you require further assistance with your application, please contact us here at CARA on 01570 471516 or email office@carawales.co.uk

Expressions of Interest for the  Farm Business Grant (FBG)  opens today 1 September 2021 and will close at midnight on 1 October 2021. 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.

If you have applied and were successful in other rounds of FBG, please note that the grant allocated to you previously will be taken into account in determining the maximum grant available of £12,000.

Applications are to be made via your Rural Payments Wales on-line account. Follow the link below for a full list of eligible items linked to animal health, genetics and performance; crop management; energy efficiency; resource efficiency and ICT.

https://carawales.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0833b6be8b5dd4416d26ce562&id=279e3d636a&e=018fb5a39e

Please contact us here at CARA on 01570 471516 or office@carawales.co.uk if you require assistance with your application.

The FBG Yard Coverings Scheme is being offered to help pay for yard coverings and improved drainage systems for buildings. The second Expression of Interest (EOI) window  opened on 18 May 2021 and will run until 25 June 2021.

Detailed guidance on this Scheme can be accessed by following the links below:-

General Rules Booklet & List of Eligible items

How to use Rural Payments Wales (RPW) to apply

Geotagged photo guidance

If you are interested in the Scheme or wish to clarify anything, please contact us here at CARA on 01570 471516 or email office@carawales.co.uk

• Same principles as old FBG. Standard cost for items. £3000 minimum grant (£7,500 spend) and £12,000 maximum grant (£30,000 spend) but starting from a clean slate now. As previously, producers must have a turnover of less than £1m.
• Standard cost of £90/m2 (£8.36/ft2) of roof covering @ 40% grant – so grant of £36/m2 (in theory min roofing area 83m2 and max roofing area 333m2)
• There will be 5 types of roof areas with different scores – covering livestock feeding areas, covering manure stores, covering silage stores, covering slurry stores and covering gathering areas.
• Scores for each item are then multiplied by the water quality and water quantity area you are in -as determined by Welsh Government.
• There are additional items available such as guttering & downpipes, sleeping policemen, slurry analysis kit, but these will not effect the score at all. They could however be used to get you to the minimum spend.
• You will need to submit 4 geo-tagged BEFORE photos of the area to be roofed with the EOI
• Farmers will have 12 months from date of issue of Contract to complete the works and submit a claim.
• It must be new roofing – not second hand. You can build it yourself, but if you do, an engineer’s certificate must be provided.
• At the Claim stage, you will be required to submit confirmation re. planning permission and SUDS (deals with surface water on developments over 100sqm), letter from Accountant re £1m turnover, invoices for shed / materials and geo-tagged AFTER photos

The AFTER geo-tagged photos will also need to show that the clean water from the new roof is diverted to a clean water drain, and that the slurry from the yard area is directed to the slurry pit.