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Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

The Team

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.

'Nature can sit alongside agriculture': a Landscape Recovery project spotlight

Posted by: and , Posted on: - Categories: Payments to restore landscapes and ecosystems
Still image taken from embedded video showing two people talking to camera.

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.

Annual Health and Welfare Review: making it easier to apply, comply and export

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Payments to improve animal health and welfare
A tagged calf taking a step forward

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. 

Introducing Animal Health and Welfare Infrastructure grants

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Payments to support animal health and welfare
A sweet little calf looking at the camera with ear tag

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.

Animal Health and Welfare Equipment and Technology grants: help shape the next round

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Payments to support animal health and welfare
A view of the English countryside with sheep in the foreground

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.

Protecting hedgerows: share your views

Posted by: and , Posted on: - Categories: environmental land management schemes, Payments to support hedgerows
Hedgerow with buffer strip

Hedgerows store carbon, support crop pollinators, create habitats for animals, slow water flow and create shade and fodder for animals. We want to protect the hedges we have, invest in their maintenance and support further planting.  We also want to make sure that hedgerow regulations work for wildlife, the environment and farmers. Today we launched a consultation on hedgerow protections in England and we want your views. 

SFI: more ways to enhance your income, productivity and the environment

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: environmental land management schemes, Sustainable Farming Incentive
Evening Light on fields and countryside in Bradninch, Devon

This year, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer will be bigger and more flexible. We'll start accepting applications for the new offer in a controlled rollout from August. Learn how SFI can provide a steady income, help make your farm more productive and support you to produce food sustainably.

Improving and extending our offer for upland farmers

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Future Farming and Countryside Programme

It is our mission to create an offer that is workable for every farmer and farm type in England. Upland farmers are a crucial part of our rural communities, economies and landscapes – they are central to the production of high-quality food and other goods. In this post, we set out the offer for upland farmers and share the work we are doing to make sure that it is accessible, broad and rewarding, and that it helps us to achieve our ambitions for food production, productivity and the environment.

Countryside Stewardship: delivering for farmers and the environment

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Countryside Stewardship, environmental land management schemes

Countryside Stewardship provides financial incentives for farmers, foresters and land managers to look after and improve the environment. Through the scheme, thousands of farmers are being paid for the valuable work they do. In this post, we’ll give you a refresher, share some facts and figures and explain how you can get involved.  

The Green Finance Strategy and Nature Markets Framework: what they mean for you

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Things we're doing
English countryside

Alongside government funding, there are a range of private sector opportunities for farmers and land managers to access new income streams to invest in their holdings. We want farmers and land managers to be able to confidently and securely access payments from both the public and private sector for the environmental benefits they produce. Published today, the Nature Markets Framework and the new Green Finance Strategy set out how we will enable this.

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About us

This blog is managed by Defra’s Farming and Countryside Programme.

On this blog, we explain the reforms to agricultural policy in England.

We share what we’re working on, what we’re learning and how you can get involved.

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Find us at these shows and conferences in 2024.

Funding for farmers, growers and land managers in England

GOV.UK is the place to find official guidance and information.

Funding for farmers, growers and land managers sets out every payment on offer with links to learn more.

Get advice

The Farming Resilience Fund provides free, independent business support to farmers. If you’ve received direct payments since October 2022, you’re eligible. 

The Farming Advice Service (FAS) provide free, confidential advice to farmers and advisers.

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) helps farmers in England protect water, air and soil. CSF advisers can provide advice on best practices and specific SFI actions that will benefit your farm business and the environment.

We’ve compiled a list of organisations offering wellbeing support to those in the farming community.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive

Find out how SFI can work for you.

Webinars in 2024

Attend upcoming webinars and watch recordings.

BPS and delinked payments

Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in England will be replaced with delinked payments in 2024.

Learn how they’re calculated and who’s eligible.

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