News

July 2019

The second round of funding for Defra's Countryside Productivity Small Grants Scheme has opened for applications and will close at midday on 3rd September.  Farm businesses can apply for grants of between £3,000 and £12,000 to help them invest in equipment that will help them achieve improvements in technical efficiency, animal health and welfare, resource efficiency or nutrient management.  Grants are available for all farm types, including livestock, horticulture and arable businesses, with a total pot of £15 million available to fund investments in new technology.

A list of eligible items is in the PDF document here. Please contact us if you would like assistance with applications to the scheme. 

September 2019

A waste exemption is a waste operation that is exempt from needing an environmental permit. Each exemption has limits and conditions that you must follow.  Any farmer using, treating, storing or disposing of waste will need to register for the relevant exemption(s).  Common exemptions which farmers may need to register for include spreading waste to benefit agricultural land and burning waste in the open.
The Environment Agency introduced it's current system of waste exemptions in October 2013.  Each exemption is valid for 3 years, so if they were renewed in October 2016 it is likely that your waste exemption(s) will need to be renewed again this autumn. 
If you would like assistance with completing the process please get in touch.

December 2019

You can view our December 2019 newsletter here

We'd like to thank all of our customers for your continued support throughout 2019 and we look forward to assisting you during 2020.

January 2020

The Rural Payments Agency has published:

  1. The 'Guide to Cross Compliance in England 2020'.  Farmers and landowners must follow the Cross Compliance rules if they claim the Basic Payment Scheme, a Stewardship Scheme or the English Woodland Grant Scheme in 2020.  You can read the guide here.

  2. RPA January 2020 Update. The update includes information on payments, flooding advice, woodland support grants and how to update your information.  You can read the update here.

Farming Rules for Water

The farming rules for water were introduced in April 2018 in order to meet the water quality targets set our in the EU Water Framework Directive.  They apply to all farmers in England.  The rules aim to prevent manure, fertiliser and soil getting into watercourses.

There are eight rules; five about managing fertilisers and manures and three about managing soils.  A summary of the rules is in the PDF file here.  Further guidance is available on the gov.uk website here.

The third and final round of the Countryside Productivity Small Grants (CPSG) scheme was launched on 7th October 2020. Under the scheme, farmers can apply for grants of between £3,000 and £12,000 to purchase equipment to improve the productivity of their farm. The grant is available for all farm types including livestock, horticulture and arable businesses.

Farmers who have been successful in applying for grants in previous rounds of the scheme will be able to apply for different equipment in this final round if their previous grant(s) are less than £9,000.

A list of eligible items is in the PDF document here

The deadline for applications is midday on 4th November 2020.  If you'd like assistance with an application to the scheme, please contact us.

October 2020

November 2021

A new RPA grant called the Farming Investment Fund (FIF) has just opened which provides grants to improve productivity and bring environmental benefits.  The grant consists of two funds:

  • Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (for grants between £2,000 and £25,000)
  • Farming Transformation Fund (for grants between £35,000 and £500,000)

The first grants available under the fund opened on 16th November 2021 and will close in January 2022.  Further information about the fund is in PDF document here.  Please get in touch ASAP if you'd like us to put in an application for you.

February 2022

Our February 2022 newsletter contains the latest updates on Making Tax Digital, Basic Payment Scheme (reductions, delinking and exit scheme), Countryside Stewardship (mid tier rates and applications, capital grants) and Environmental Land Management (sustainable farming incentive and other grants).  You can view our newsletter here.