Grants & Funding

Suffolk farmers were invited to a roundtable event by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), where they heard the latest on available schemes and grants – and shared concerns about the level of financial support for food production versus environmental management. Sarah Kidby attended.

With uncertainty over what government help will be available in 2024, making use of existing slurry grants to improve storage, management and to cover slurry is being advocated by industry specialist Tramspread.

A recent Defra webinar on funding for grassland and livestock saw farmers question the funding available for low input grassland, species rich grassland and good quality semi-improved grassland options under the SFI.

Farmers can apply for up to £250,000 to modernise and replace slurry storage infrastructure as the government announces a funding pot of over £70m.

Dairy farmer Stephen Carson recently installed the UK’s first batch milking system, with milk being pasteurised and bottled on site before being sold through vending machines. Allowing him to keep the profits through the supply chain, the project was funded by a combination of government grants and specialist agri finance.

We know that the early stages of a calf’s life have a significant impact on their lifetime health and productivity, but housing is often not fit for purpose. We spoke to Rob Hall of LLM Farm Vets, for advice on new Defra funding to help farmers replace aging buildings.

Over £14 million will be on offer in new competition rounds to develop innovative solutions in the farming sector as part of the government’s Farming Innovation Programme, Defra has announced yesterday (2nd August).

Livestock farmers will be able to apply for grants of up to £500,000 to improve cattle housing and boost productivity, with further grants being made available for purchasing equipment and technology as part of the government’s Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.

With subsidy payments for farmers set to end this year, the Welsh government has announced the launch of an interim agri-environment scheme from 1st January 2024 to provide alternative support until the start of the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme in 2025.

Small and medium-sized farm businesses will be able to apply for a share of £5 million to fund innovative ideas aimed at boosting sustainable food production, supporting nature recovery and driving progress towards net zero as a new competition launches later this month.

At the first ever ‘Nature for Finance’ event held at Downing Street yesterday (19th June), Defra announced further support for farmers to access private investment for nature recovery projects that deliver outcomes such as improved soil health and ecosystem services on farms to promote sustainable food production.

Farmers and rural businesses in the most remote areas will benefit from better access to wireless networks thanks to a £7 million fund announced today as part of government efforts to boost rural connectivity and encourage uptake of new technologies in agriculture.