Organic Support 2024: summary

This document provides a summary of Organic Support 2024. Full guidance will be published within the Single Application Form (SAF) 2024 rules booklet. Please read it carefully. If you then consider you qualify for support, you can submit a claim on the SAF 2024 form.

Organic Support 2024 provides a payment per hectare for eligible land and is available to existing organic agriculture producers across Wales who maintain full organic certification during 2024.

You are eligible to apply if:

• you are registered with the Welsh Government and have been issued with a Customer Reference Number (CRN). Please refer to the Welsh Government website for the how to register guidance or call the Rural Payments Wales (RPW) Customer Contact Centre on 0300 062 5004. Rydym yn croesawu galwadau’n Gymraeg / We welcome calls in Welsh.
• you are a farmer carrying out the primary production of agricultural products
• you have 3ha of eligible agricultural land registered with RPW in Wales, or
• you are able to demonstrate over 550 standard labour hours
• the land you are claiming for is certified fully organic by an Organic Control Body (OCB)

We will check if you have an eligible Basic Payment Scheme claim to verify if you are a primary producer of agricultural products and you have 3ha of eligible agricultural land in Wales.

If you have not submitted a BPS claim, you must submit documentary evidence with the SAF to verify you are a primary producer of agricultural products and to confirm you meet either the 3ha or 550 standard labour hours eligibility criteria.

The primary production of agricultural products includes the following farming sectors:

• arable
• beef
• dairy
• goats
• horticulture 
• pigs
• poultry
• sheep
• apiculture

All land entered as part of a claim for Organic Support must be continuously certified with an Organic Control Body (OCB) for the period 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024.

You are not eligible if:

• you are an Equine customer (including grazing horses)
• you are a Forestry customer (including woodland only owners)
• a group of farmers (including Producer Organisations) 

However, if two or more agricultural holdings are managed as a single unit, or in a single ownership, or to some extent have common management, common financial accounts, common livestock, machinery and/or feeding stores that will be classed as a single business.If you have not submitted a BPS claim, you must submit documentary evidence with to verify you are a primary producer of agricultural products and you meet either the 3ha or 550 standard labour hours’ eligibility criteria.

Land certified as fully organic between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024.

Rented land is only eligible if you can guarantee continuous management control for the claim period.

The criteria for Management Control can usually be met by the following:

• an Owner Occupier of the land
• a Tenant with a tenancy agreement under the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 Farm Business Tenancy or the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986
• a Licensor

Only whole field parcels are eligible for Organic Support.

All field parcels must be located in Wales.

Only Common Land which is used for grazing and where you are the sole registered grazier shall be eligible for consideration. These parcels must be registered on RPW’s Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS). 

Land that is not certified as fully organic.

Land within conversion.

Part land parcels. (Only whole land parcels can be offered support)

Common land, where there are multiple registered graziers on the common.

Land Used for Sporting and/or Recreational Activities.

Payment rates will be based on land use as submitted on your SAF 2024.

Payment rate 1: horticulture

Land used for horticultural production in 2024.

Horticultural crops to be sold.

Fodder crops not eligible. (See key requirements).

Land use and area will be identified based on SAF 2024 submission.

Payment rate 2: enclosed land

Grassland and arable fields.

Predominantly productive grassland.

Identified and area based on SAF 2024 submission.

Payment rate 3: enclosed land with a dairy enterprise

Predominantly grassland, both permanent and within a rotation.

This payment rate will only apply to land which supports a dairy enterprise. (Dairy animals and dairy youngstock).

Farms with multiple enterprises, for example, a dairy unit and upland sheep will only be paid payment rate 3 for land utilised by the dairy enterprise. Land utilised by the sheep enterprise will be paid on either payment rate 2 or 4.

The area of eligible land eligible for payment rate 3 will be calculated based on the number of dairy animals on the holding using a standard livestock unit (LU) calculation. Animals declared on your SAF will be checked against EID Cymru and BCMS records.

The maximum area supported under payment rate 3 will be calculated based on the number of organic dairy animals on the holding using a maximum stocking density of 1.3 LU / Ha.

Payment rate 4: land above the upper limit of enclosure and other specified land

Land above the upper limit of enclosure is defined as land above the agricultural enclosure and is characterised by its open nature and has received limited agricultural improvement. (As identified on DataMapWales)

Other specified land includes:

• common land which is used for grazing and where you are the sole registered grazier (Sole Grazed Common Land)
• field parcels with 50% or more of the total field size made up of grazed blanket bog, coastal heath, lowland heath, and saltmarsh
• predominantly extensive upland livestock systems with low stocking densities

We will identify unenclosed upland and other specified land field parcels eligible for Payment Rate 4. 

Area of land that may be entered into Organic Support 2024 and maximum payment rate

There is no upper limit to the area of land that can be submitted for Organic Support 2024.

The maximum payment will be tapered according to the following:

In reaching any payment threshold, the highest paying rate will be considered first.

Where permanent ineligible features are introduced or identified on parcels within the agreement, (e.g. woodland or buildings) this area will become ineligible for payment and removed from the contract. 

In order to fulfil the Organic Support 2024 obligations, all land under contract must be continuously certified with a recognised Organic Control Body (OCB) for the entire duration of the Contract, commencing 1st January 2024. The most recent OCB Certificate and Land schedules must be submitted by 31^st December 2024.

No payments will be made where an outstanding certificate has not been submitted. 

To be eligible for payment rate 1, claimants with a horticultural enterprise will be required to submit evidence of sales of non-fodder organic horticultural produce from the holding.

To be eligible for payment rate 3, claimants with a dairy enterprise will be required to submit evidence that milk is sold from the holding for the duration of the claim period. For those processing milk on the holding, confirmation and an explanation will be required of how they sell their processed dairy products.

Full guidance will be published within the Single Application Form (SAF) 2024 rules booklet.

The scheme details could be subject to change prior to the full guidance being published.