Welsh rural development plan revealed

A £572m budget has been earmarked for delivering the Glastir agri-environment programme and other land-based initiatives in Wales during the next six years.

On the day Edwina Hart took over the farming portfolio from Alun Davies, she unveiled the new Rural Development Programme.

She told Welsh farmers how she planned to spend the 15% the former minister had redirected from their direct payments.

With a projected budget of £953m, Mrs Hart said Glastir’s Advanced scheme would be the main mechanism for targeted improvements to the countryside.

“There will be a single scheme for common land and new and enhanced provision for part-farm approaches to agri-environment schemes,” she said.

“These measures will sit alongside an organic scheme and work to address woodland creation, management and support for plant disease threats currently faced by woodland managers.’’

Read also: Fears raised at plan to halve Glastir entry level cash

According to Mrs Hart, the new programme aims to modernise farming and improve its competitiveness.

A new Sustainable Production Grant will direct capital support to farm modernisation, production and resource efficiencies.

The popular Young Entrant Support Scheme (YESS) will be expanded and so too will support for processing and marketing support for the agriculture, forestry and food sectors.

But Mrs Hart warned that the programme was not set in stone. “We will be submitting this RDP to the European Commission in the next two weeks and negotiations will take place over the detailed proposals and funding allocations. It is possible that the proposals set out here will change in the course of the next few months,” she said.