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Warwickshire Rural Hub
Latest News
Here is a flavour of some of the most recent industry news stories. To read all news posts please click on one of the categories above.
Multiple herds and flocks now available for vet visit funding
From today, farmers in England can get a funded vet visit (also called the Animal Health and Welfare Review) for each of their herds or flocks of the same species. This means that farmers managing several groups of cattle, pigs or sheep can now get support across their business – not just for a single herd or flock. For example, if you have 3 herds of dairy cows, you can now apply for funding for all 3. To read about what is included in the vet visit and the funding available, please visit this page.
Discover the financial and environmental benefits of woodland
Whether you already have woodland, or you’re thinking about planting some, the Forestry Commission is currently offering landowners the opportunity to access high-quality free advice to look at the potential for woodland creation projects on their land. Financial support is available through Forestry Commission grants and other woodland creation organisations including the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO), which offers up to £10,200 per hectare to cover the capital costs of creating the woodland. For proposed woodlands of more than five hectares there is also the Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG) available to help plan a UK Forestry Standard compliant woodland creation design plan and includes funding for surveys that might be needed. There are also grants available for the management of existing woodland by producing a Woodland Management Plan and Agroforestry.
For further information on the benefits that woodlands can provide and the grants and support available, or to organise a free woodland opportunity site visit, contact your local Land Use Advisor in the West Midlands, Emma Clitherow, emma.clitherow@forestrycommission.gov.uk
Useful links
Where to find grants for trees and woodland – GOV.UK
England Woodland Creation Offer – GOV.UK
Woodland Creation Planning Grant – GOV.UK
Create a woodland management plan – GOV.UK
Blue Tongue restriction zone to cover all of England from 1 July
As from 1 July, the Blue Tongue restriction zone will cover the whole of England. This means you’ll be able to move animals within England without a specific bluetongue licence or pre-movement testing. Different rules apply for moving cattle out of England to Wales or Scotland, where pre-movement testing and licences still apply. Read more on this page.
New guidance on autumn muckspreading
Following a review Defra has announced that autumn muck spreading will be allowed to continue, but farmers must take steps to demonstrate more clearly why they need to spread organic manures at any time. This justification should include a proper nutrient management plan, including “an assessment of the crop nutrient requirement for each cultivated land parcel” informed by using the AHDB’s RB209 guide, or approved farm software, or a Facts-qualified agronomist. Read more about the guidance on this page.
ADOPT Facilitator grant – Round Two opens
Defra’s new Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies Fund (ADOPT) fund will invest up to £100,000 to support the development of applications for on-farm trials and farm experiment projects. Farmers who require support to develop a Full ADOPT Grant application can apply for a £2500 grant to engage an external project facilitator, who will then complete the full ADOPT application on behalf of the farmer. Innovate UK has a list of approved facilitators. The competition to apply for a facilitator grant closes on 24 July at 11.00am. Read more on this page.
Further information on the main ADOPT fund can be found on the ADOPT Support Hub.
Free Trees for Farmers – apply by 13 July
Warwickshire Sustainable Farming Groups are pleased to be able to offer Free Trees for Farmers again this year. The trees are being funded by Warwick District Council, Stratford District Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Rugby Borough Council. Your farm needs to fall within one of these local authority boundaries to qualify.
Various tree packs are available, which allow farmers to find the perfect species mix for their land, including hedgerow packs, fruit tree packs, and woodland packs. Farmers can apply for anything from a single tree pack up to hundreds of trees. Stakes and tree guards are also supplied.
The Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Farm and Wildlife Advice Service can also offer practical support for farmers looking to plant on a larger scale where they may need to undertake Environmental Impact Assessments, for example if they want to plant on a woodland scale using the Government’s English Woodland Creation Offer grant. Please contact land.advice@wkwt.org.uk to ask for help.
The deadline for requesting trees is Sunday 13th July 2025 at 11pm.
The trees must be collected on a specific day in December 2025 or January 2026 and will need to be planted as soon as possible after being collected.
Changes on the way for cattle ID tags
From Summer 2026, Defra will be introducing changes to cattle identification, registration and reporting to help improve the government’s ability to respond effectively to disease. New requirements will see Electric ID mandatory for all new-born calves from 2027, using low frequency technology. This means animals with eID eartags are able to be scanned when animals are moved, rather than a visual read and manual input of the tag number. The changes in tags will be supported by a new cattle movement reporting system which will be easier to use for farmers, markets, abattoirs and regulators alike. This will simplify existing regulations and support the livestock industry to boost productivity, food security and international trade. Read more here.
New tree planting and woodland creation resources page
Forestry Commission has pulled together a range of information on woodland creation into one useful page. Covering every stage from planning and funding to planting, protection, and long-term management, it includes resources, courses and guides to support successful woodland projects. Visit the new resource hub on this page.
Payment rates for HLS increase from January 2025
Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) payment rates have remained the same for more than 10 years. In that time, they’ve fallen behind the rates offered through other schemes including Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) and the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). Defra has now announced that they are raising 157 options by 34.4% of the difference between the HLS rate set out in an agreement holder’s document and the equivalent CSHT or SFI action, to bring them more in line with those schemes. The new rates are now available on this page. The increases will be effective from 1 January 2025 and will be paid from December 2025. Read more on this page.
Consider joining your energy supplier’s priority service register
Joining your energy supplier’s Priority Services Register means you and your business will be able to get a range of extra help when you need it. This could be all the time, or for a short period. Some of the help you can get includes priority support in an emergency and advance notice of scheduled power cuts. Get in touch with your supplier or network operator directly and give them as much information as you can about your needs. You can contact them online, in writing or by phone. Details on how to do this should be on their website or on your energy bills. Free similar services are available in the water, telecoms and public transport sectors.
Newton LDP charity clay pigeon shoot raises £50K
Property agency and Rural Hub business supporter, Newton LDP, has raised over £50,000 at its fourth annual charity clay shoot with proceeds split between the RABI (Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution) and Cancer Research. Held on Thursday 8 May at the Shuckburgh Estate, the event brought together more than 180 shooters, over 220 attendees and 40 volunteers. Since the inaugural event in 2022, the Newton LDP clay shoot has now raised almost £135,000 for charitable causes. Next year’s event will be held on 14 May.
Be prepared for 2G and 3G mobile network switch off
The United Kingdom is currently undergoing a phased decommissioning of its 2G and 3G mobile network infrastructure. 2G was launched in 1991, making it more than 30 years old, and mobile communications technology has evolved significantly since then. All UK mobile operators have committed to carefully shutting down their 2G networks between now and 2033. Each individual network operator will have their own timeline for 2G retirement and anyone with an older type of mobile ‘phone who thinks they may be impacted should contact their provider as soon as possible. The 3G switch off is already underway in the UK. Vodafone and EE have completed their 3G switch off, Three are nearing completion, and O2 are planning to complete their switch off in 2025. Once 2G is retired by all operators in the UK, mobile customers will need their devices, SIMs (or eSIMs), and plans to all be compatible with 4G or 5G to be able to connect. Read more on this page.
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Contact Us
The Warwickshire Rural Hub CIC
Archway Cottage, 2 Church Street, Marton, Rugby CV23 9RL
Email: info@ruralhub.org.uk
Tel: 07780 159291
Company Registration No: 7026157
Registered office: 23 West Bar Street, Banbury, OX16 9SA
Warwickshire Rural Hub CIC Directors
Karen Ellis (Chair)
Amy Brant
Rosemary Collier
Emlyn Evans
Henry Lucas
Marion Perrett Pearson
Alexandra Robinson
Environmental Steering Group Members
Zoe Bell (Chair)
Tony Beysens
Meehal Grint, Kings Seeds
Tom Newbery, Highfield Farm
Louis Phipps, Bragborough Estate
Zoe Burrows, Rookery Farm
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The Warwickshire Rural Hub accepts no liability for any direct, indirect or consequential loss arising from any action taken in reliance on the information contained on this website.
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