Cabinet Secretary confirms support available for farmers in 2025

Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, has confirmed a number of schemes to support farmers and landowners before the Sustainable Farming Scheme is introduced in 2026.

On-farm infrastructure investment support 2024 - Nutrient Management Investment Scheme

£20m has been committed to contribute to improvements in water and air quality and support farmers to reach compliance with The Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021. The Nutrient Management Investment Scheme EOI window is now open.

Rural Development Schemes Key Dates

Application dates for all agricultural support schemes.

Transfer of BPS Entitlements 2025

The 2025 transfer window of BPS entitlements will open on 2 September 2024, Transfer of Entitlements forms will be available on the RPW Online account.
Entitlement values displayed on the RPW Online account may be subject to annual changes to take account of the value of unclaimed entitlements and unallocated National Reserve budget in 2025. Any increase applied to the entitlement value in 2025 will only apply in 2025.
Customers must submit the Transfer of Entitlements form before midnight on 15 May 2025 for the entitlements to be available to claim on BPS 2025.

Cross Compliance 2024 

Most Cross Compliance rules continue to apply as in 2023. We have updated some factsheets, and the Verifiable Standards for 2024.

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD)

Starting 1 July, 2024, the new industry-led Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) legislation developed in partnership with Welsh Government will require all cattle keepers to:

• screen their herds for BVD annually,
• isolate all Persistently Infected (PI) animals from the rest of the herd for their entire lifespan.

Keepers have until 1 July 2025 to complete their first annual herd test, otherwise, herds that have not completed their screening test will be placed under movement restrictions pending a negative result.

Poultry and Other Captive Birds Compulsory Registration

From 1 October 2024 it will become a legal requirement for bird keepers in Wales and England to register for a County Parish Holding (CPH) number and register as a bird/poultry keeper on the GB Poultry Register. This is with the exception of birds that are kept as pets and live solely indoors without any outside access.

Important Changes for Sheep and Goat Keepers

The Sheep and Goat Annual Inventory is a legal requirement to record the total number of sheep and/or goats you own. From December 2024 the way in which the inventory is run in Wales will be changing. To bring the annual inventory in line with all other UK nations, the date of the inventory in Wales will now be 1 December. The usual hard-copy annual inventory will no longer be issued, and the way to submit your inventory will be via your EIDCymru online account. Sheep and goat annual inventory form: frequently asked questions.

RPW Online - GOV.UK One Login

To modernise our RPW Online service and enable new features in the future, we are moving away from the Government Gateway. Rural Payments Wales (RPW) is currently developing a new system for customers to access RPW Online using GOV.UK One Login. As all individuals using RPW Online will need their own login information, please ensure in advance all individual details are up to date and correct on your RPW Online account Individual Details tab.

Calling All Livestock Farmers and Vets: Complete this Survey on tick-borne diseases

The OPTICK project seeks your valuable input in understanding tick-borne livestock diseases like Louping ill and babesiosis. Share your insights on risk perceptions, impacts, treatments, and diagnostic practices in this brief 10–15-minute survey. Your input is crucial for understanding and mitigating these evolving threats in UK farmlands.

• Farmers Survey
• Vets Survey

June 2024 Agricultural Survey

This year’s survey is underway. Not all farms have been included but if you have been contacted about the survey but not yet submitted it, then we urge you to do so. The survey is an important source of information in developing future agricultural policies for Wales. For any help in completing the survey, please contact the survey team on 03000 252244 or stats.agric@gov.wales.

Farming Connect announces Agri Academy Class of 2024

The names of this year’s intake selected to take part in the Agri Academy 2024 have been announced. The successful candidates will meet for the first time at a reception at the Royal Welsh Show on Tuesday 23 July.

An upland farmer is growing his income from lamb sales by performance recording his closed flock of Welsh Mountain ewes

In five years, the average weight of lamb produced per ewe in Elfyn Owen’s flock has increased by 9.3kg, to 47.6kg.

Find us on Facebook!

Keep up-to-date on farming, fishing, food and drink and animal health and welfare in Wales by following our bilingual Facebook channel: Cymru Wledig! We’re also on X – search for @WGRural and give us a follow!

Wales Rural Network Support Unit (WRNSU)

The WRNSU aids the exchange of ideas between rural organisations. It is available to anyone:

• interested in rural development
• keep up to speed with future funding information

Farm Liaison Service

Confidential, one-to-one guidance and support. If you need to discuss any issues contact one of the Farm Liaison Service staff.