Grants & Funding

A total budget of £238m will be available for direct payments to farmers in Wales in 2023, the same level provided over the past three years, the minister for rural affairs Lesley Griffiths confirmed today.

A new £4.8M project funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to increase biomass crops grown in the UK, will launch at the Low Carbon Agriculture Show at the NAEC, Stoneleigh, on 7th February 2023.

A further £12.5 million for projects focused on cutting-edge agriculture and horticulture innovation to boost productivity, reduce labour demands, and create more sustainable farming practices.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has confirmed that 95.3% of farmers have already received full payments in the first few days of the payment window – meaning £872m has been released into the rural economy following on from earlier payments in July and August.

Livestock farmers were encouraged to take advantage of opportunities provided by the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) improved grassland soils standard at a recent farmer meeting organized jointly by Hutchinsons and Anson Farm Feeds.

Farmers should take advantage of the new slurry infrastructure grant to improve their slurry storage before it becomes a legal requirement, according to the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers.

The government is launching grants of up to £250,000 to help farmers in England improve their slurry storage, cut costs on artificial fertilisers, and significantly reduce water and air pollution in the area.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has launched the latest round of the Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund, allocating a further £2.5 million to promote collaboration between farmers and landowners in England in order to enhance the local environment.

This year’s Women in Dairy Conference revealed details of the financial support dairy farmers in England could receive via the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, with the first set of payments to commence this autumn.

Farmers intending to cover their maize fields with grass this winter can now claim £200 per hectare from South East Water.

After Defra announced details of the lump sum exit payment scheme, which opens to English farmers in April, NFU Mutual provides advice on the pros and cons.

With increasing pressure on farms to reduce environmental impacts and adhere to a rising number of standards, the Arden Farm Wildlife Network allows farmers to access free guidance to improve habitats and, potentially, farm productivity too. Farmers Guide teamed up with The Wildlife Trusts for a series of articles to learn more about its work with farms…