EOIs are currently closed for the first year of funding. We will be announcing our next funding window in early 2026.
Ffermio Bro is a Welsh Government programme, which launched on 1 April 2025 and will run until March 2028.
It supports farming projects across Wales’ National Parks and National Landscapes (Formerly Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty/AONBs) that make improvements for nature and the environment.
The programme is delivered jointly by farmers and the Designated Landscape bodies, working together to:
- Deliver collaborative activities that span multiple farms to achieve a common goal
- Support the recovery of nature and the resilience of ecosystems
- Help farm businesses become more sustainable and resilient
- Create opportunities for people to enjoy the Landscapes and their cultural heritage.
Each Landscape has specialist, dedicated Ffermio Bro advisors who will work with farmers and landowners to develop applications and support applicants through the process.
Ffermio Bro is a collaborative programme. It will fund activities that span multiple farms and have an impact on a landscape scale. This doesn’t just mean formal farm clusters – Ffermio Bro will fund projects that achieve a common goal through action taken on multiple farms – the farmers need not have any agreement or directly work together. Individual farm projects are also considered.
Click here for details on how Ffermio Bro will operate
Introduction to the Ffermio Bro Scheme in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park
The Bannau Brycheiniog National Park’s landscapes are special and unique, reflecting their geology, landforms, history of human settlement, farmland and the biodiversity and wildlife that also shape and depends on them. They need to continue to be managed, enhanced and protected, primarily through farming, whilst also supporting the farmers and communities who work here. Our Ffermio Bro: Bannau Brycheiniog National Park agri-environment scheme offers additional funding to allow farmers to work in partnership with each other, other organisations and us to deliver better outcomes for nature and communities. Together, we know best the opportunities and challenges facing our landscapes and communities, explained in the Park’s Management Plan “Dyfodol y Bannau.”
Your farm must be wholly or partly within Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.
This is a capital grant scheme, requiring all works to be completed within the financial year (April 1st to February 28th), leaving us sufficient time to complete administration before the end of the financial year on March 31st.
The scheme is limited to three years (April 2025 to March 2028), helping to inform the collaborative layer of the Sustainable Farming Scheme. It will work alongside, not in competition with, existing schemes.
What we will fund
We will accept one grant per farm CRN per year unless one or more farms are involved in more than one partnership delivering under Ffermio Bro.
We will award capital grants between the value of £1001.00 and £20,000.00. Any grant applications of £10.000.00 or more will be assessed by the Local Assessment Panel.
You will submit an Expression of Interest form to us to trigger discussions between you / your partnership and ourselves. EOIs are currently closed for the first year of funding. We will be announcing our next funding window in early 2026.
What kind of activities will be eligible for funding?
Low density targeted tree planting where improving habitat. This could include on steep banks, upland gullies and streams, field corners, and creating wood pasture.
- Woodland restoration
- Natural regeneration.
- Restoring and creating hedgerows.
- Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) removal and eradication.
- Natural flood risk management (NFRM) interventions.
- Enhancing and creating wetland through re-wetting measures and supporting ponds, lakes, reed beds and fens.
- Enhancing and creating riparian habitat.
- Enhancing upland and unenclosed habitat & peatland.
- Enhancing and creating lowland habitat.
- Restoring traditional hay meadows, and creating wild bird, wildlife and pollinator strips and plots.
- Traditional boundary restoration, stone walls, earth banks and slate fences.
- Improving access to the countryside through upgrading/enhancing public paths, open access land and green spaces.
- Targeted measures to support the recovery of the wildlife species and habitats set out in the such as creating and establishing nesting and feeding habitat; including unavoidable predatory controls to support those species as part of the wider landscapes scale actions.
- Targeted measures to improve water quality such as stock control.
These are examples only and not a comprehensive list.
For registered commons
Additionally, if you are applying on behalf of a registered and constituted commoners association and would like to explore options for controlling fuel load to mitigate and prevent arson-related wildfire, we would be happy to help you develop ideas in discussion with your freeholder.
Payment rates
We pay at the standard intervention rate set by Rural Payments Wales (https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2025-05/ffermio-bro-farming-in-designated-landscapes-technical-specifications_0.pdf ).
Where the technical specification cannot be used, for example because of environmental considerations specific to the farmed land in question, we will offer up to 40% grant value of the actual costs.
Where a proposal is received where no standard cost is available, we will offer up to 100% of the costs where there is a demonstrable, direct environmental gain and the farmer will not make a private commercial gain and / or it is not linked to primary production.
We will consider contributing towards capital machinery purchases where relevant and where the applicant(s) demonstrates that the machinery / kit will be used for several years subsequently, relating directly to the project works completed.
Avoiding double-funding
Where you have received or are about to receive funding under another Welsh Government-funded scheme, you must provide us with a written assurance that you are not or will not be receiving funding for the same works that you are applying for under Ffermio Bro.
Key contacts and contact details:
Ffermio Bro Project Officer (Katie Parkinson)
07929 858883
Years 2 and 3
We’re developing ideas for Years 2 and 3. For Year 2 onwards, through collaborative co-development with farmers and the National Park’s Local Nature Partnership we will support projects that build on the foundations established during Year 1 as well as seek additional funding and finance to develop complementary wrap-around projects and programmes.
What are your ideas? We’d appreciate hearing from you: ff********@*************ov.uk
Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the Tirweddau Cymru Ffermio Bro web site.