We're working with farms to improve the way we regulate and support farming and the environment.
If you'd like to get in contact with the editor, leave a comment on any post.
At the end of November, we shared details of a grant designed to help farmers attract private investment into nature. We said we’d blog again when it was time to apply and we’re pleased to say that from today, you can. This post includes a link for you to watch a recording of our webinar on the grant.
As part of the agricultural transition away from the European Union (EU), we’re committed to delivering a better regulation system for farming. At the moment, farmers who receive payments under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and some other agri-environment schemes must meet minimum standards to receive those payments. This is known as cross compliance. Cross compliance will end 31 December 2023. We've published guidance about what this means for farmers and land managers on GOV.UK.
The Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) will soon offer grants designed to help farmers attract private investment in nature. You’ll be able to apply for a grant on 11 December 2023. We've published guidance for the grant on GOV.UK to help you prepare.
If you are a farmer or landowner in England, you can apply for woodland creation grants to support tree planting projects of all shapes and sizes. In this post, we’ll explain how planting the right trees in the right place can diversify your business, boost income, support food production, and enhance the environment. We’ll also share links for you to find out about the grants on offer.
Over 20,000 farmers have already applied for an SFI agreement. Apply today and choose from the 23 actions currently on offer. You will receive your first payment 4 months after your agreement starts. After that, you’ll be paid every 3 months, so you have a regular, reliable income.
Updated 29 April
The North Norfolk: Wilder, Wetter, Better for Nature project is part of the first round of Landscape Recovery. Alongside sustainable food production, the project aims to create new habitats for nature, restore rivers and boost biodiversity on the Holkham Estate. We visited the team to see how the project will work in practice.
When we launched the Annual Health and Welfare Review, a funded annual vet visit, we said that we would continue to improve with feedback from farmers and vets. In this post, we’d like to share an update on our work which includes simplifying the process to apply, bringing BVD testing for beef in line with CHECS and BVD Free requirements and clarifying how to use the review to enable exports to the EU. We also include a video of a farmer and vet who took part in a Review.
We've made some minor changes to the SFI Handbook for the 2023 offer and provided voluntary guidance on how you could do the SFI actions in response to feedback from farmers. In this post, we’ll share an overview and links.
In this post, we share the next steps of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. Through the first round of the Animal Health and Welfare Equipment and Technology grant, over £19 million will be awarded to more than 3,000 pig, cattle, poultry and sheep farmers. A new Animal Health and Welfare Infrastructure grant is also on the way: the Calf Housing for Health and Welfare grant.
In March, we took another step forward on the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway by launching the first round of the Animal Health and Welfare Equipment and Technology Grant. In this post, we'd like to invite you to help us shape the next round.
On 27 and 28 November, you can come and put your questions to us at the CropTec in Stoneleigh.
Find us at these shows and conferences.
