Last week, we published a post about the Agricultural Transition Plan update. The update includes the full range of Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions — new and updated — with their payment rates. In this post, we will focus on the new actions relevant to those who farm in the uplands, both moorland and non-moorland grassland.
Tenant farmers are at the heart of the rural economy, managing a third of all farmland in England. To meet our food security and environmental objectives, we must make sure that all farmers, including tenant farmers, can access our schemes and build thriving farm businesses. In this post, we’ll explain how we are continuing to design our schemes with tenant farmers in mind. We’ll provide an update on how we are embedding an understanding of the tenanted sector across Defra. We’ll also summarise the progress we’ve made so far.
The Wigan Greenheart Landscape Recovery project covers a combined area of approximately 1,446 hectares in Lancashire. In this post, project manager Tony Da Silva shares an overview of the site, its history and the project team's ambition to support a thriving natural environment in which people, wildlife and agriculture can flourish.
On 15 January, we’ll open another round of the Large R&D Partnerships competition. Part of the Farming Innovation Programme, this competition offers a share of £7.8 million to farmers, growers and foresters in England to take forward ideas that improve productivity, sustainability, resilience and move the sector towards net zero. Together with our delivery partners Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), we published the competition guidance today.
In a few weeks’ time, you will once again have the opportunity to apply for an Improving Farm Productivity grant. The grant pays for capital items including robotic, automatic and solar equipment that improve farm and horticulture productivity. To help you prepare, we’ve published guidance on GOV.UK. In this post, I’ll share an overview of the grant, the changes we've made following Round 1 and link to the guidance.
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.
On Monday 20 November, we held a webinar for livestock and grassland farmers. If you missed the webinar, don't worry. In this post, I'll share a link to the recording. I'll also include the top questions farmers put to us and a summary of the offer for those farm types.
I am pleased to tell you that the annual health and welfare review of livestock is now open to non-BPS registered farmers, meaning more livestock keepers in England can now apply. Through the Review, farmers who keep cattle, sheep and pigs can get funding to pay for a vet to visit their farm and carry out a yearly review.
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.
On 27 and 28 November, you can come and put your questions to us at the CropTec in Stoneleigh.
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