New round of Farming Equipment and Technology Fund grants opening soon  

English rural landscape in with grazing Holstein Friesian cattle

The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund  is part of the Farming Investment Fund. It offers grants for specific items of equipment to increase productivity, boost environmental sustainability and improve animal health and welfare. Today, we published the full list of items available through the fund. In this post, I’ll explain what is available, when you can apply …

The Annual Health and Welfare Review: rolling out yearly vet visits

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Guest post, Payments to improve animal health and welfare
Vet and farmer in conversation

At around this time last year, I wrote a post introducing the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. I’m pleased to tell you that the first step on the Pathway, the SFI Annual Health and Welfare Review, is now ready to be rolled out. In this post, I'll explain how to register for a funded annual visit from …

Large Research and Development Partnerships: further innovation funding available

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Montage of cows, hydroponics, sheep and vertical farming and cows

Later this month, the second round of the Large Research and Development Partnerships fund will open. From 20 February, agri-businesses, farmers, growers and foresters in England will be able to apply for a share of £8 million to improve productivity, sustainability and resilience. In this post, I’ll give an overview of the competition and details of events …

Further funding available to improve productivity, sustainability and resilience

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Orchard scene in Kent.

At the end of this month, farmers, growers and foresters in England will be able to apply for a share of £850,000 to improve productivity, sustainability and resilience. In this post, I’ll share an overview of the competition, the application process and links to help you prepare.  

The next steps for the SFI annual health and welfare review

Farmer and vet look in on piglets

The SFI annual health and welfare review is a fully funded vet visit which farmers can receive each year. With the help of volunteer farmers and vets, we started testing the review in September. In this post, I’d like to give you an update on what we’ve learned through testing. I’ll also share our plans for …

Watch: The North Cumbria Farmers Group test and trial

Farmers in North Cumbria's Forgotten Lands are working with Natural England and Defra to help shape future environmental land management schemes. In this third video in a series of 3 about the North Cumbria Farmers Group Test and Trial, uplands livestock farmer and local history expert Barbara Smith explains how the group have been mapping …

Future Farming Podcast: everything you need to know about the Sustainable Farming Incentive

Future Farming Podcast: Martin Lines and Jonathan Marsden

In the latest episode of the Future Farming Podcast, Cambridgeshire farmer Martin Lines and Sustainable Farming Incentive lead Jonathan Marsden talk all things Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and environmental land management.

Further funding for farmers, foresters and growers to innovate

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Gap in a hedgerow with sheep in background. Hartlip, Kent.

The Farming Innovation Programme provides research and development funding to farmers and growers who want to develop and use new, innovative methods and technologies.  The aim of the fund is to support farmers to become more productive, environmentally sustainable and resilient to the global food security challenges of the future. You might remember that alongside UK …

Watch episode 3: Land management plans and the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot

Growing-the-goods thumbnail

Through tests and trials, we want to understand the role that land management plans could play in our future schemes.  In the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, we provided farmers with 3 different land management plan templates. Each template was developed through tests and trials. One of these templates was developed by the Growing the Goods test and trial group. …