A new £22.9m Farming Connect programme will be available for farmers in Wales over the next two years to support them as they prepare to move to the new Sustainable Farming Scheme. Starting from 1st April 2023, this new programme replaces the existing Farming Connect programme which came to an end on 19th March 2023.
Since its launch in 2015 the current Farming Connect programme has supported over 26,500 individuals, including 12,615 businesses. The new programme will run for two years until March 2025 and will focus on preparing farmers to transition to the new Sustainable Farming Scheme.
The over-arching themes for the new programme will be sustainability, improved environmental performance and greater global competitiveness.
How to apply
To benefit from all that is now on offer, you will need to register for the programme. Individuals registered under the previous programme will need to re-register.
Check the eligibility criteria, which has now been widened to include more farmers and foresters with smaller holdings, new categories of self-employed contractors and food businesses.
Many services are fully funded, others are subsidised by up to 80%.
With the support of Farming Connect you could:
- benefit from subsidised business support, tailored to your business needs
- reduce outputs and increase efficiency across all areas of your business
- benchmark your performance and work towards progress and growth
- identify areas for improvement and find solutions to problems
- develop your skills as part of our new continuing professional development/lifelong learning programme
- keep up to date with the latest innovations in technology through industry developments and the latest research projects
- share best practice and benefit from the knowledge of other farmers, industry experts and academic research
- be inspired by new ideas and find more efficient and innovative ways of working
To find out more visit: Farming Connect – helping you drive your business forward | Farming Connect (gov.wales)
