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29.07.2020
Farmers in England will no longer be required to comply with so-called greening requirements when planning their cropping for harvest 2021. This means that, unlike previous seasons, they won’t need to juggle the complexities of Ecological Focus Areas, crop diversification requirements and special controls on permanent pasture. The government has decided that despite their name, […]
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20.07.2020
Woodland creation is an increasingly attractive option to farmers and landowners considering ways to improve their business resilience and diversify income streams. In Scotland in particular there are several grants available to help, while the recent simplification in accessing expert advice for potential tree planting schemes will be an additional boost. The Farm Advisory Service […]
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22.06.2020
Ten years after the introduction of the government’s flagship Feed-in Tariff, renewable energy subsidies may have almost disappeared, but the sector is entering a new era promising opportunities for farmers and landowners. Green energy technology has advanced greatly over the past decade, costs in many areas have fallen considerably, and political pressure to decarbonise our […]
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22.06.2020
The term ‘ecosystem services’ has become more familiar as climate change has risen in importance in the nation’s psyche. Despite this, there is still widespread confusion about what it means and the opportunity it might present to landowners. Part of the problem is coming up with a simple, practical explanation of what ecosystem services actually […]
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18.06.2020
Trees were a hot topic during the last General Election campaign, with all political parties making pledges to ratchet up levels of planting. In the March Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed a £640m funding package in England and Wales with a promise to plant 30,000 hectares annually between 2020 and 2025 – more than double […]
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17.06.2020
Farmers still have enough time to make an application for mid-tier Countryside Stewardship for an agreement with a 1 January 2021 start date. Requests for an online application pack must be made by 30 June, with the deadline for applications to be submitted being 31 July. The benefits of a mid-tier CSS agreement include locking […]
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11.06.2020
The drive to build more homes in the UK is set to open up a new market opportunity for farmers and landowners, through the delivery of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). Biodiversity Net Gain is widely seen as one of the main changes – if not the main change – in the Environment Bill, which is working its […]
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28.05.2020
What is the National Food Strategy? It’s the first major review of the nation’s food system in 75 years and will shape a government White Paper, setting the ‘field-to-fork’ agenda for the coming decades. How much of an issue is the disconnect between our largely urban society and those who produce food? The differences between urban and […]
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15.05.2020
Farmers are showing their usual resilience and fortitude in the face of new challenges and most businesses have already completed their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application and Environmental (ES) or Countryside Stewardship (CS) claims by the traditional deadline of 15 May. Nevertheless, DEFRA’s decision to extend the claim deadline to 15 June will have been welcomed by […]
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13.05.2020
Work on peatland restoration projects may have stopped across the UK but the clear long-term commitment to peatland restoration by both the UK and Scottish governments is a welcome boost. The UK Peatland Strategy, published in 2018, aims to deliver 2m hectares of peatland in good condition, under restoration or being sustainably managed by 2040. […]
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06.05.2020
Farmers looking to apply for Water Capital Grants under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) need to contact their local Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer (CSFO) before the end of May, if they have not already done so. Valuable capital grants are on offer which will allow farms and estates in England to invest in works designed […]
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20.04.2020
Farmers and landowners in England have until 1 May to apply for capital grants worth up to £10,000 to help pay for the restoration of hedges and stone walls. Farmers – both owner occupiers and tenants – should consider making an application to the 2020 Hedgerows and Boundary Grant Scheme. The scheme falls under the […]
