Welsh Cabinet Secretary, Lesley Griffiths, has announced a new £6 million initiative to support young entrants into farming. The new scheme called ‘Young People into Agriculture’ will offer financial support to ‘high achieving’ young entrants looking to start a business in farming or develop an existing one. Successful applicants will need to be able to show they have the right characteristics to lead ‘dynamic businesses’ and ‘drive change in the wider industry’.
Curiously, the details of the initiative are no longer available on the Government’s website but we expect the scheme will offer £40,000 to 150 individuals, to be used as working capital. The grant will be paid in three installments up until 31st March 2020 subject to agreed Key Performance Indicators being met. Eligible applicants must be under 40 years old on 1st April 2018 and must either setup as head of a holding for the first time by 1st September 2018, or have become head of a holding for the first time in the 12 months preceding 1st April 2018.
The scheme will be competitive and applicants will be scored against set criteria with points being awarded according to business type, business structure, academic qualifications, level of Continued Professional Development (CPD) and strength of the business plan.
The scheme is expected to be open for Expressions of Interest between 1st April and 31st May 2018.
In addition there will be a Young People in Agriculture Forum to compliment the scheme. This will allow young people involved in agriculture to express their views and help develop future policies.
