Western Morning News (Saturday)
Farms being urged not to miss out on free support
TAILORED business support for farmers during the move away from direct subsidy payments will be made available from next month.
Outside of the EU and no longer bound by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Government has set out plans for a seven-year agricultural transition to the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme, which will be rewarding farmers for environmental ‘public goods’ alongside food production on their land.
The Future Farming Resilience Fund has been developed to help farmers and land managers navigate the policy changes over this period.
Following a competition launched in March, £10.7 million worth of grant funding has been awarded to a total of 19 provider organisations - including Devon County Council and the Prince’s Countryside Fund - to support those who in receipt of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments.
The support will be available, free of charge, from August this year through to March 2022 and any farmer or land manager currently in receipt of BPS is eligible to apply.
Farming Minister, Victoria Prentis, urged farmers to sign up to the scheme, which aims to deliver direct benefits to farmers and land managers by enabling them to understand the changes that are happening as a result of the agricultural transition; identify how, what and when they may need to adapt their business model; and access tailored support to address these changes.
She explained: “We know that change can be challenging which is why we are committed to helping farmers and land managers throughout the agricultural transition to feel supported to make the best decisions for their farms, families and future.
“As we continue to co-design and develop the future schemes, it is important that the industry has access to expert support and knowledge. So I urge farmers and land managers to sign up to the new Future Farming Resilience Fund now to ensure that come August they are able to use the help that is available to them.”
Ms Prentis added that the lessons learned will feed into the design of a final phase, which will be available from 2022-2024.
Further information of grant providers, location and contact details can be found on Defra’s Farming Is Changing blog on the GOV.UK website