As outlined in the Chancellor’s announcement, we have secured a budget of £2.4 billion for the next financial year. This means we can maintain the momentum of our environmental land management (ELM) schemes, which will rise to the highest funding levels ever by 2025/26.
There’s still time for you to apply for a Water Management grant before the window closes on 12 July. The grant is available to horticultural and arable businesses growing, or intending to grow, irrigated food crops, ornamentals, or forestry nurseries. The maximum grant available is £500,000 per applicant per funding round. The minimum grant you can apply for is £35,000.
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.
In the first round of Landscape Recovery, £12 million of development funding was awarded to 22 projects in England. This money supports plans to restore rivers, boost biodiversity and much more. The projects represent hundreds of farmers and landowners working together to deliver significant environmental change. One such project is the Upper Duddon Landscape Recovery Project, for which I am project lead. In this post, I will shine a light on our work.
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.
We recently asked you to help us shape the list of items under the Productivity and Slurry theme of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF). The survey was due to close on 3 July. However, in response to requests to keep the survey open for a little longer, we’ve extended the deadline to midday, Wednesday 12 July.
In the latest in our series of films from the Lake District, we visit Miller Farming in Penruddock. Upland farmers, Garry and Hazel Miller, have sheep, cows, and free-range hens. They talk about how they’ve increased productivity and enhanced nature at the same time.
If you have an ambitious research and development project which supports productivity and sustainability, you can now apply for a share of £12.5 million to fund it.
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.
The Tenancy Working Group was set up to review how government could better support the tenanted sector. Chaired by Baroness Rock, the group published its findings in the Rock Review. Today, we published our response on GOV.UK.
The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund supports the purchase of equipment, technology, and infrastructure designed to improve agricultural, horticultural and forestry productivity in a sustainable way. Grants are offered towards the cost of specific items of equipment on a list. We promised to review the list of productivity and slurry items and we'd like your help.
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.
