Ffermio Bro is now open for applications- click here for further details and to apply
Our Designated Landscapes are special and unique places and need to be managed, enhanced and protected while also supporting the farmers and communities who work within them and the wider local economy. Farmers, land managers and Designated Landscapes are already all doing a huge amount collectively in this space. Now a new programme to support this work, Ffermio Bro: Farming in Designated Landscapes, is in the pipeline!
It will provide additional investment to allow farmers to work in partnership with Designated Landscape management bodies to deliver bigger and better outcomes for the environment, visitors and communities. It will integrate incentives for positive farming practices with Designated Landscapes purposes. This is a great opportunity for Designated Landscapes, farmers and partners to collaborate, building on existing relationships and the track record of Designated Landscapes in managing agri-environment and habitat programmes.
In developing the programme, officials have built on lessons from Defra’s successful farming in Protected Landscapes scheme (FiPL), in operation since 2021. This has informed some key elements of the programme’s delivery model, such as the use of programme advisers based within Designated Landscape bodies, and Local Assessment Panels.
The programme will also help play a central role in delivering the WG commitment on bringing 30% of land into effective management for nature by 2030 (30×30). It also has the potential to support the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), supporting the introduction of the SFS collaborative layer and signposting land managers to the universal SFS layer.
The Welsh Government team are co-designing the detail of the scheme with a steering group made up of Designated Landscape bodies, NRW and the National Landscape Association, with details expected to be confirmed in the new year. It is expected that funding will support individual projects proposed by farmers and clusters of farmers, and approved by Local Assessment Panels, which will support Designated Landscapes’ local priorities. A range of activities will be eligible for funding that support the priorities of Designated Landscape management plans.
Specialist advisors will coordinate the projects and farmer engagement. Programme support will be provided via Tirweddau Cymru, the National Landscapes Partnership, and Pembrokeshire Coast NPA will host a National Programme Manager for Ffermio Bro.
Watch this space!