Funding

With so much change in the industry recently, farmers have a lot to deal with. So, what does resilience actually mean? Emily Ashworth finds out more

Referring to the Slurry Infrastructure Grant, Henry Clemons, an associate in rural consultancy at Knight Frank said while invaluable for farming businesses, the application process ‘demands a significant amount of detail, technical expertise and resources that many farmers simply do not possess or cannot afford to divert from their core operations'

With now 102 actions to choose from in the latest Sustainable Farming Incentive announcement, NFU senior countryside adviser Claire Robinson runs through the new options

A new grant for hen housing with a budget of more than £20 million is expected to open up for initial applications at the end of June

Figures from April 2024 suggests that the current scheme had provided direct one-to-one support to over 12,000 businesses so far. The FFRF runs until March 2025

Scottish First Minister John Swinney said the UK Government must increase funding for farming to at least pre-Brexit levels

Defra says programme offers more opportunity for farmers across the industry - who will it help?

"This support is not only important for farmers and crofters producing a fantastic product from some of the toughest farmland, but also to the local communities which see a huge amount of reinvestment from these businesses"

"Farmers and crofters must prioritise these annual application forms in the next few days"

Daera said farm businesses which have not yet applied are urged to do so now to avoid late claim penalties and to allow enough time to check that their information is accurate