Farmers affected by the recent flooding in Cumbria and north Lancashire will be eligible for up to £20,000 of support. The Farming Recovery Fund will provide grants for restoring productive grass and arable land, restoring vehicle access and repairing drainage systems. Those who wish to claim are advised to contact the Rural Services helpline on […]
Applicants to Countryside Stewardship (CSS) may have to start the scheme without having an agreement in place. Natural England had been aiming to issue all agreement offers during December ready for the 1st January 2016 start date but this will now not be possible. Letters will be sent out to applicants during the first week […]
The RPA is sending out a leaflet updating BPS claimants on their progress and what happens next. During October the RPA have been working on entitlement and land transfers submitted via RLE1. The RPA will confirm when transfers have been complete. Going forward, in November, the payment rates will be announced and anyone who applied […]
The LEADER programme in England got its official launch on the 14th October with £138m funding available to create more jobs and boost the rural economy. Grants will be awarded through each of the 80 Local Action Groups (LAGs) who have all been allocated their proportion of the £138m. Applications are competitive and all projects must […]
Those who transferred entitlements in England prior to the BPS claim may be wondering if the transaction has gone through. The RPA had a large number of transfers to deal with and it has taken a while to work through them. Notifications are now been sent out, and should all be completed by the end of […]
The ‘Future of Scottish Agriculture- a discussion document’ has been published (http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0047/00479616.pdf). The document looks at the key opportunities and challenges that will be faced by the agricultural industry and describes the vision and desired outcomes whilst inviting the public and stakeholders to engage with the process. Key outcomes are; strong, sustainable growth in profits […]
The Welsh Government has launched four grant schemes under the Rural Development Programme for Wales. The table below indicates the budget, expected number of grants and application windows. All have a two stage application window, firstly an Expression of Interest (EOI) must be submitted (in word and emailed). If successful a full application will need […]
The Scottish Government’s long awaited Land Reform Bill was published on June 23rd. Land Reform Minister, Aileen McLeod, has pledged to end ‘the stop-start nature’ of historic land reform and put communities at the forefront of reforms to promote ‘sustainability, fairness and transparency’. One of the key themes behind the Bill is to have more […]
Environmental Stewardship Claim Forms must be submitted by 15th June, however we have been informed that the address on the top of the letter (PO Box 798, Leeds, LS1 9NA) is incorrect and post is being redirected. This redirection can take couple of days. The correct address is : Natural England Customer Services Natural House […]
The move back to paper BPS applications in England has inevitably thrown up some questions around the process. This article aims to answer some of these, and highlight the areas where more information is still required. Firstly, although claims are to be on the new paper BPS form, all claimants (and Agents) must still be registered on […]