A last ditch warning has been issued to Welsh graziers that they risk losing a lot of money if they don’t stake a claim for a new grant in time – it could mean thousands of pounds each.
According to the people administering the £5 million Glastir project, time is rapidly running out for graziers to put their name down.
The scheme has been set up to fund a new system to support the management and grazing of common land.
Missing the April 28 deadline could mean an expensive double whammy for the graziers.
But for those who meet the deadline there are “double benefits” on offer in 2012 when the new payments scheme will operate alongside the Tir Mynydd scheme it replaces.
The project is being run by a network of rural regeneration agencies, Cadwyn Clwyd, PLANED and Menter Mon.
They have 18 Commons Development Officers (CDOs) on hand across Wales – all from farming or land management backgrounds.
Their job it is to advise and guide those with eligible grazing rights on common land to tap into the scheme.
CDO supervisor for Cadwyn Clwyd is Dan Delaney whose team covers Powys, Newport, Monmouthshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.
He said: “The Commons Land Element is a stand-alone scheme and if you are a commons grazier and you want to be in the scheme, April 28 is a very important deadline.
“If you want access to more grants for the higher levels of the scheme for specific projects then you have to be within the CLE scheme – if you do not register an expression of interest by April 28 you will not proceed this year.”
The key is to set up or re-constitute existing grazier associations who will administer the new Glastir common land scheme in contract with Welsh Assembly Government.
In return for the money graziers have to abide by a Commons Code and choose one of two options – withdraw stock from commons grazing for 90 days in the winter (November to March) or agree a minimum and maximum grazing density.
Glastir – Welsh for Green land – starts in January 2012 and replaces existing agri-environmental schemes such as Tir Gofal and Tir Mynydd and the Common Land Element of Glastir is designed to be a simple way of supporting maintenance of common land.
In Wales there are about 1,500 registered commons covering about 175,000 hectares (45% of it in National Parks).
Associations will be responsible for maintaining and administering grazing on the common for which they receive payment of £33.60 per hectare for eligible common land within Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) with £5.60 for admin and legal costs, and £28 per hectare outside LFA’s.
Graziers interested in expressing an interest in the Glastir scheme can contact Daniel Delaney on 07825 136592 [email protected], Robin Griffiths 07808 767907 [email protected] or Stephen Bradley 07990 761382 [email protected]
