Farmers put off by green scheme penalty
Welsh farmers are baulking at applying for Wales’ new land management scheme because they fear mistakes could lead to hefty financial penalties.
There are just days left before application packs are issued to farmers planning to join the Glastir scheme.
Glenda Thomas, director of Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group Cymru, who has been helping farmers better understand the application process through a series of on-farm events, admitted farmers were worried about falling foul of the rules.
Ms Thomas has advised farmers to seek help from a professional to produce a report on every field included in the application. But she is worried that time is running out.
“The application period is upon us and not everyone is going to get this done,” she told a meeting of the Carmarthenshire branch of NFU Cymru last Monday (27 September).
Application packs will be issued on Monday (4 October) and farmers have until 22 November to return their completed application forms.