Funding opportunities

Defra funding

www.gov.uk/guidance/funding-for-farmers

All the funding opportunities offered by Defra are listed on this page, including:

Sustainable Farming Incentive
Countryside Stewardship
Landscape Recovery
Water and air quality grants
Reduction of flood risk grants
Protection of species and habitat grants
Farming in protected landscapes funding
Protection of animal health and welfare grants
Creation or improvement of woodland and tree health grants
Investment in technology and infrastructure to improve productivity

Countryside Stewardship 

www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants

Search for options, supplements and capital items to include in your Countryside Stewardship application on this page.  There are 259 grants available.

Catchment Sensitive Farming 

www.gov.uk/catchment-sensitive-farming

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) works with farmers and partners across England to produce food in a way that protects water, soil and air.  CSF approval is required for some capital items designed to improve water quality. CSF can also offer access to free specialist advice for many aspects of your farm business including soil health, nutrient management, farm infrastructure, air quality and water resources amongst others. 

Rural Payments Agency

RPA YouTube Channel

Visit the Rural Payments Agency YouTube channel for advice on how to apply for the various schemes and negotiate the online service/

Green Finance

www.thegreenoffset.co.uk

Landowners with available land can now quickly and easily be found by developers who need to site natural capital elements or carbon offsetting.   The Green Offset is an innovative new ‘matchmaking’ scheme that is free for landowners to register their land on in a secure way.  The website links up parties looking to find land for any environmental requirements with landowners who have land available to facilitate this.

Biodiversity Offsetting 

www.warwickshire.gov.uk/biodiversityoffsetting

Biodiversity offsets are conservation schemes that compensate for any residual loss of habitat by development such as housing. Developers are required to compensate for these losses by funding the creation or restoration of wildlife habitat in the vicinity of the development. Offset schemes are delivered and managed by landowners who are willing to create or enhance suitable habitats and manage them over the long term (30 years). For example, this might include the creation and management of species-rich grassland or ponds. The agreement will guarantee payments to the landowner to fund all habitat enhancements and management costs plus potentially other economic losses (e.g., stocking number reductions) for the 30 years. 

Severn Trent

Severn Trent offers funding for various actions that improve water quality and biodiversity .  These include STEPS and the Test, Protect and Improve programme which is aiming to reduce faecal organisms in some of Warwickshire’s rivers; the River Avon upstream of Warwick, and the River Leam.

Contact your local advisers:
Una McBride (Bourne and Blythe) 07811 847161 una.mcbride@severntrent.co.uk
Marion Perrett-Pearson (Avon and Leam) 07970 944834 marion.perrett-pearson@severntrent.co.uk
Peter Bowman (Avon and Leam) 07711169635 peter.bowman@severntrent.co.uk
Jess Lay (Test, Protect and Improve) Jess.Lay@severntrent.co.uk