Credit: Shamraze/Nuhaize In a post published last month, I said I’d let you know when Parliament passed the new hedgerow regulations. Today, I’m doing just that.  The Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024 puts the baseline for hedgerow management practices into law, providing a consistent approach for their protection across the country.  This includes: a 2-metre buffer strip, measured from the centre of a hedgerow, where a green cover must be established and maintained. Also, no cultivation or the application of pesticides or fertilisers should take place within this ..read more

We recently published details of this year’s Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer along with information on Countryside Stewardship (CS) Higher Tier and how those with existing agreements can benefit.  We'll start inviting people to apply in June, through a controlled rollout, as we have done in previous years. Doing so enables us to make any adjustments needed to our service and provide applicants with the support they need to apply during the initial rollout.  The expanded SFI offer will be available to most farmers at scale by the end of July. By then, voluntary guidance wil ..read more

Credit: M. Shattock In December, we shared details of a new capital grant to support smaller abattoirs in England, offered through the Smaller Abattoir Fund. To recognise the cash flow challenges that many smaller abattoirs face, we’re increasing this support. We’ve raised the intervention rate from 40% to 50% and we’ve increased the maximum grant amount from £60,000 to £75,000.  The minimum grant amount remains the same at £2,000.  In this post, I’ll give a recap of the fund and include a summary of the changes. Colleagues at the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) have already contacted ..read more

By reducing the levels of endemic disease in livestock, we can increase productivity, support businesses and unlock wider benefits too — from reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to slowing antimicrobial resistance (AMR).   The very nature of endemic disease means it is an ongoing concern. Managing it requires the sustained effort of livestock keepers, the support of vets and money.   In recognition of this, we are offering additional financial support to:  eradicate Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) in cattle  control Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome ..read more

Credit: Matt Cartney. Crown Copyright. Next month, a new grant for hen housing will be available to laying hen and pullet farmers in England with flocks of 1,000 birds or more. We've just published the guidance for the grant on GOV.UK. In this post we’ll share an overview of the grant and a link to the guidance. Overview of The Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare grant  There is a direct link between the health and welfare of livestock and a farmer’s bottom line.  The challenges faced by the poultry sector in recent years make this clear. We know that ageing housing can make ..read more

Credit: James Clark Between October 2023 and March 2024, England experienced the second wettest 6-month period on record. The rainfall was nearly 60% above the 10-year average.  Heavy rainfall has a devastating and long-term impact on farming, with soil erosion, crop damage and flooding. This disruption not only affects the livelihoods of farmers and land managers but also has wider implications for food security and the economy. In addition to the package of support offered through the Farming Recovery Fund, we have introduced temporary adjustments and easements within the Sustainable ..read more

With good nutrient management, farmers and growers can increase their productivity and protect the environment too.   Nutrient management involves using either organic or manufactured nutrients as efficiently as possible to maximise plant uptake, crop growth and yield.  It also includes applying nutrients where and when they can be best used by plants, thereby combating run-off and soil erosion.   But the management of nutrients is not without its challenges: from leaching and run off to the removal of contaminants.   Through the £15 million Nutrient Management c ..read more

Photo credit: Sarah Stewart We want to make it easier for farmers to strengthen their businesses. To that end, several changes to permitted development rights are coming into effect from 21 May.   The changes are the result of a consultation undertaken by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) between July and September last year.   The consultation sought to understand where additional flexibility could support the agricultural sector. The views of all 977 respondents were considered.  The order that followed, The Town and Country Planning Amend ..read more

Today, we updated the data showing the uptake of actions in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and the uptake of options in Countryside Stewardship (CS) and Environmental Stewardship (CS).  As of 1 April 2024, there were over 55,000 agri-environment agreements. There were 34,900 CS agreements, 6,200 ES agreements, 13,900 SFI 2023 agreements and 3,200 SFI 2022 agreements. The full dataset can be found on GOV.UK. In this post, I’ll share an overview of the data for the Sustainable Farming Incentive, which launched in September 2023. I’ll also include findings from research we conducte ..read more

The River Waveney Floodplain near Bressingham as of 11 December 2023. Can you spot the river? Credit: Ali Moseley and Will Everson at the Environment Agency. Sitting on both sides of the Suffolk/Norfolk border, the rivers Waveney and Little Ouse are responsible for much of the county boundary and are an important part of the local East Anglian landscape connecting the Broads to the Brecks.  We are all familiar with the gentle, or not so gentle pitter patter of rain against a window—a precursor to water eventually accumulating in a nearby floodplain. This year that floodplain is already ..read more