More support for Staffordshire’s 3,000-plus farming enterprises is on the way as the Government commits the UK to producing at least 60 per cent of the nation’s food on home soil.
A number of boosts to funding were set out by Environment Secretary Steve Barclay after listening to feedback from the agricultural sector.
It’s the biggest upgrade to the UK’s farming schemes since leaving the European Union.
On the horizon are funding uplifts, streamlined application processes, enhanced environmental incentives and support for the roll out of new technology.
Farmers will be able to submit their applications for the 2024 offer from this summer.
The improvements include:
- A 10 per cent increase in the average value of the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship agreements.
- A streamlined single application process for farmers to apply for the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship funding in the Mid Tier band.
- Around 50 new actions that will be subsidised across all types of farm businesses, including agroforestry and agricultural technology.
- Enhanced payments for ‘creation’ and ‘maintenance’ options to improve the long term incentives for farmers to create and preserve habitats
- Premium payments for actions with the biggest environmental impact or combinations of actions that deliver benefits at scale, such as £765 per hectare for nesting plots for lapwing, and £1,242 per hectare for connecting river and floodplain habitat.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Farmers do the essential job of keeping Britain fed. That’s why I’ll back British farmers and help support farming businesses.
“We have listened to farmers’ feedback and set out the biggest upgrades to our farming schemes since leaving the EU, with more money, more choice and more trust to support domestic food production whilst also protecting the environment.
“We’re also making it easier for farmers of every farm type and size to enter the schemes, and I encourage everyone to take a look at how you can join the thousands of other farmers and land managers who are already receiving our backing through the schemes.”
- Up-to-date figures from the NFU (National Farmers Union) show that there are 3,345 agricultural holdings of varying size in Staffordshire. Around 35 per cent of these are in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
