2018 was an extremely popular year for agricultural and rural grants with Carver Knowles securing over £500,000 worth of funding for local farmers and businesses. The majority of these grants such as LEADER and the Rural Development Programme grants were funded with European money and the schemes have now started to close to new applications. However there are still some grants which are due to open this year which could benefit your business:

The Countryside Productivity Small Grant

The Countryside Productivity Small Grant was extremely popular in the first round. Whilst the details of the forthcoming second round have not yet been released yet, we anticipate that it will be relatively similar to before with grant funding of between £3,000 to £12,000 available based on 40% of the standard cost of the items. In the first round eligible items included:

  • Cattle/sheep handling equipment
  • Animal welfare equipment
  • Precision farming equipment e.g. GPS, direct drills and variable rate controllers
  • Slurry management equipment

The second round of applications is expected to launch imminently so if you would like us to contact you when the grant opens or if you would like further information then please register your interest with us on 01684 853400 or email alyssiathomas@fts.carverknowles.co.uk

Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS)

The mid-tier Countryside Stewardship includes both the “streamlined” Wildlife Offers with guaranteed scheme acceptance (subject to meeting the minimum requirements of the scheme) as well as the standard application route which allows for a larger variety of options and capital works funding. Both the streamlined and standard application Stewardship schemes are aimed to suit all farming systems and can help to create some future income security for farming businesses. With agreements lasting 5 years entering the scheme may be a wise decision in order to secure a guaranteed income stream given the uncertain times ahead. Typical options include:

  • Low input grassland
  • Over winter stubble
  • Flower margins
  • Buffer Strips
  • Hedgerows
  • Organic options

There is no limit on the minimum or maximum area of land which can be included in a scheme allowing for a flexible approach and the ability to chose options that will minimise disruption to the farming system. The range of capital items which can be included in a standard agreement include:

  • Hedge planting/restoration
  • Fencing against water course
  • Tree coppicing
  • Planting fruit trees

The application window for both the streamlined and standard routes opens on the 18th February 2019 and closes on the 31st July 2019 with new agreements starting from the 1st January 2020.

For a discussion on how a Stewardship scheme could work for you and how it could benefit your business please call or email us today on 01684 853400 or email: alyssiathomas@fts.carverknowles.co.uk

Water Capital Grant

This standalone grant offers farmers within the designated Water Catchment Sensitive Area to apply for funding to improve the farms infrastructure. Options include:

  • Concrete yards and tracks
  • Roofing over wash down /feeding areas or slurry stores
  • Rainwater goods
  • Drainage

With up to £10,000 per farm available it is an extremely popular scheme. If you tie in with a new Country Stewardship application there is no limit on the grant funding amount which can be claimed.

It you would like to know if you’re in the right catchment area please call us on 01684 853400 or email: alyssiathomas@fts.carverknowles.co.uk

Hedgerow and Boundary Grant

This scheme has been extremely successful and popular over the last few years with many farmers being awarded up to £10,000 for:

  • Hedgerow laying
  • Hedgerow gapping up
  • Casting/top binding/staking
  • Stone wall restoration

This grant typically opens in the spring and allows up to two years to complete all the work.

For more information on any of the above or if you would like us to contact you regarding new grants please contact us on 01684 853400 or email: alyssiathomas@fts.carverknowles.co.uk