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The scheme is run by the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, which is financed by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Union. It is available to producers who convert between 2nd January 2011, and 1st January 2012.

The Welsh government said it would first and foremost be prioritising applications for arable land conversion, with existing organic scheme agreement holders who wish to convert additional land also being offered priority.

Deputy farming minister Alun Davies commended the scheme, “Many people who buy organic food also want to buy local food, so I am pleased to continue to support farmers to help them satisfy the demands of Welsh consumers.”

The scheme’s advocates claim converting has the double benefit of adding a premium to the value of produce and drastically reducing input costs. The latest Defra figures, released in August, show Wales has increased the amount of land farmed organically more than any other UK country since 2009. The amount of land given over to organic in Wales increased by 34 per cent over the period; 8 per cent of the land in Wales is currently managed organically.

Further details of the conversion scheme are available on the Welsh Government’s organic webpage and from Organic Centre Wales.