Grants & Funding News

Biodiversity is an increasingly hot topic within the agricultural sector. Stuart Holm, arable farmer and outreach manager at the Woodland Trust, shares his approach to improving farm resilience and biodiversity on his land.

To reduce financial barriers for potato farmers transitioning to sustainable agricultural practices, McCain Foods, the largest manufacturer of frozen potato products in the UK, has joined forces with NatWest in offering financial support with the costs of switching to a regenerative farming system.

Farmers looking to apply for Mid-Tier Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) funding are being reminded to seek approval from a Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer (CSFO) in the next few weeks to ensure their application will be considered.

Farmers can now apply for this year’s round of Severn Trent’s Environmental Protection Scheme (STEPS) match funding, offering up to £30,000 for farms in priority catchment areas to invest in improving water quality.

Rural communities across England are set to benefit from £110 million funding under the Rural England Prosperity Fund, aimed at supporting local businesses and community organisations, creating jobs and boosting productivity and prosperity in the countryside, the government announced on 7th April.

The government revealed additional funding will go towards helping farmers better manage slurry storage and store and use water more efficiently as part of the new Plan for Water announced yesterday (4th April).

Rural land and property specialists GSC Grays believe some farms could be better off under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme and urged farmers to consider transitioning to a regenerative farming system.

Three cutting-edge projects relating to robotics and automation will receive a share of £9.13 million through the government’s Farming Innovation Programme, aimed at boosting agricultural productivity, sustainability and climate resilience.

Starting today (Tuesday 21 March), farmers and land managers can apply to the 2024 Countryside Stewardship (CS) Mid Tier agreements, offering payments for actions that enhance and protect the natural environment alongside sustainable food production.

The latest round of the Rural Payments Agency’s (RPA) Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) offers grant funding for a range of equipment, including mobile sheep handling and herd monitoring systems, with MSD Animal Health also offering support to improve flock productivity.

Farmers can now apply for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and claim for their existing Countryside Stewardship (CS) revenue and Environmental Stewardship (ES) agreements.

Understanding soil structure and nutrient content will be key to farmers meeting the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) ‘arable soils’ standard and supporting future crop growth, according to David Newton, technical manager at Timac Agro.