Written by John Swire
New projects funded to provide farmers with tailored on-farm advice to help them prepare for transition away from Common Agricultural Policy
New projects to help farmers and land managers prepare for life outside the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy have been given the green light, Farming Minister Victoria Prentis announced today.
Nine organisations have been awarded a share of the government’s £1 million Future Farming Resilience Funding, which will support farmers as they prepare for the transition to a new farming system.
The funding delivered today will go towards projects that provide support for farmers, including through information sessions, workshops, one to one advice on-farm and business reviews. This initial phase will be thoroughly evaluated to inform future decisions about expanding the Future Farming Resilience Funding in the future, so that more farmers have access to advice and guidance around future change.
This funding will go to rural-facing organisations across a range of sectors and regions in England and is set to benefit approximately 1,700 farmers this year.
The grants have been awarded following a competitive process from September to November 2019. The projects will be carried out by Bishop Grosseteste University, Brown & Co, Devon County Council, Ricardo-AEA, RSK-ADAS, Soil Association and SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College).
The seven-year Agricultural Transition period will start in 2021 and see the current subsidy system of Direct Payments – which pay for the amount of land farmed – phased out from 2021 and replaced with a new system that rewards farmers and land managers for the ‘public goods’ they provide, such as better air and water quality, improved access to the countryside and measures to reduce flooding.
After years of being in the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, the resilience fund provides grants for a variety of different projects which aim to help farmers fully understand the changes ahead and identify how to adapt their business models – including one-to-one advice on farms or group information workshops.
Beyond this, the government will help increase productivity and support diversification through a transformative package of productivity grants, launching in 2021. Ahead of the future Environment Land Management (ELM) scheme being fully rolled out, farmers and land managers are also being encouraged to apply for Countryside Stewardship (CS) as an additional income stream so they can start delivering environmental benefits on their land now.
Farming Minister Victoria Prentis said: “We are transforming British farming to boost productivity, enhance our environment for future generations and support a strong food production sector.
“Whilst we’re not switching off direct payments overnight, we recognise this is a time of huge change for the industry, and we want to help our land managers grasp the exciting opportunities our domestic agricultural policy will provide.
“This funding is just one way we will support our hard-working farmers as they prepare for the transition towards a new farming system that works for the whole of the country.”
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