Dechreuodd y cytundebau Glastir Sylfaenol ar 1 Ionawr eleni ac rwy’n falch o allu cyhoeddi fod taliadau gwerth £3,565,323 eisoes wedi’u gwneud a disgwylir talu gwerth hyd at £1,636,000 eto cyn y Nadolig. Bydd rhyw 700 o gontractau hefyd wedi’u rhoi i ffermwyr sydd wedi gwneud cais i ymuno â’r cynllun o 1 Ionawr 2013, a hynny eto erbyn y Nadolig. Yn unol â’r addewid a wnes i wrth bwyso a mesur, y flwyddyn nesaf, o 1 Ionawr ymlaen bydd ffermwyr yn rhydd i wneud cais i ymuno â Glastir unrhyw bryd.  O’r dyddiad hwnnw, bydd ffermwyr yn cael gofyn am ffurflen gais a chaiff pob ffurflen gais a ddaw i law cyn diwedd Medi 2013 eu hystyried ar gyfer contract fydd yn cychwyn ar 1 Ionawr 2014. Bydd hwn yn gyfnod pwysig gan y daw’r rhan fwyaf o gytundebau estynedig Tir Gofal a Thir Cynnal i ben ar 31 Rhagfyr 2013 ac rwy’n awyddus i weld cymaint o’r ffermwyr hyn â phosibl yn ymuno â Glastir Sylfaenol flwyddyn nesaf.  Mae dros 4,500 o’r ffermwyr hyn wedi dangos diddordeb yn Glastir ac rwy’n gobeithio y gwnaiff y rhan fwyaf ohonyn nhw ymuno â Glastir Sylfaenol er mwyn i ni weld parhad yn y ddarpariaeth o nwyddau a gwasanaethau gwerthfawr a geir ganddynt.
The first Glastir Entry contracts started on 1 January this year and I am pleased to announce that payments amounting to £3,565,323 have been made already with additional payments of up to £1,636,000 expected to be made before Christmas. Around 700 contracts will also have been issued by Christmas to farmers who applied to join the scheme with a start date of 1 January 2013. Next year, in line with my stocktake commitment, there will be an “Anytime” application process that will open on 1 January. From this date, farmers will be able to request an application form and all signed applications received by the end of September 2013 will be considered for a start date of 1 January 2014.  This is an important period as the majority of existing Tir Gofal and Tir Cynnal extension agreements will expire on 31December 2013 and I am keen to see as many of these farms join Glastir Entry as possible next year.  Over 4,500 of these farmers have expressed an interest in Glastir and I would hope that we would sign up a majority of these farms to Glastir Entry to ensure the continuity of the valuable environmental goods and services the farmers involved have delivered so far.