The government has doubled the amount of funding that farmers and land managers with stone walls and hedges in need of restoration can apply for under the 2018 Hedgerows and Boundaries Grant scheme, according to Strutt & Parker.
Natural England’s 2018 Countryside Stewardship Hedgerows and Boundaries Grant Scheme opened up for applications mid-month.
Ryan Lindley, farming consultant in Strutt & Parker’s Northallerton office, said: “The hedgerow and boundaries grant scheme is a valuable opportunity for farmers to make improvements that help from a farm management perspective, while also offering landscape and environmental benefits.
“The big change for 2018 is that landowners can apply for a maximum grant of £10,000, when in previous years the limit has been £5,000. This move ties in with recent statements by DEFRA secretary Michael Gove about wanting to target financial support towards environmental enhancement.
“The payment rates will remain at the same level as in 2017, with options including £9.40/m for hedgerow laying, £9.50/m for filling in gaps and £25/m for stonewall restoration. Farmers wanting funding to establish a new hedgerow or boundary should make make an application under the wider mid- or higher tier Countryside Stewardship Scheme.”
Applications for the Hedgerows and Boundaries Grant Scheme can either be made on paper or online. The closing date is 30 April.
Mr Lindley said the scheme was just one of a number of current opportunities for farmers to apply for grant funding.
Other options include:
Mid- and higher-tier Countryside Stewardship Scheme
Natural England has also opened up the application window for mid- and higher-tier Countryside Stewardship applications.
The deadline for landowners to request an application pack is 31 May 2018, with the final deadline for applications being 31 July 2018.
Simplified Countryside Stewardship Scheme
Scheme handbooks for four new simplified offers for Countryside Stewardship have also been made available, in a bid to open up the scheme to more farmers and landowners.
The simplified version of the scheme is tailored around different farm types – arable, lowland grazing, mixed farming or upland.
Under these ‘offers’, farmers are required to pick from a short pick-and-mix menu of prescribed management options.
In contrast to mid/higher tier CSS the simplified scheme will not be competitive, so long as applicants meet the eligibility criteria they will be accepted on to the scheme. Agreements will run for five years.
Countryside Productivity Scheme
It is anticipated that DEFRA will shortly open up the Countryside Productivity Scheme to applications for funding for smaller projects. Currently, the minimum value of any grant is £35,000.
For more advice and information about any agri-environment or rural development grant please contact Ryan Lindley on 01609 780306.