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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.

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust seek two Agricultural Advisers

By joining the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust agricultural advice team, you’ll be on the front line, helping farmers, landowners and growers to support nature’s recovery whilst enabling them to continue growing high quality food. With farmland covering 70% of Warwickshire this role will support farmers, landowners and growers to make space for nature and take action for wildlife.  As an Agricultural Adviser at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, you will work alongside colleagues in the team to help inspire and support farmers across the area. You will work closely with the Rural Hub Warwickshire Farm Cluster Groups and other partners to provide advice and guidance to farmers. Helping them to integrate nature into their business, apply for the Government’s new agricultural grants, and support them to transition to a more nature friendly way of farming.  The roles are full time, but part-time hours will be considered.

The full application pack can be download below.  Closing date for applications is 28 April and interviews take place on 9 May.

Agricultural Adviser Job Pack April 2024

All poultry keepers must now register their flock with Defra

All poultry keepers will be required to register their birds with Defra this autumn, even if they own just a couple of birds in a garden.. Currently, only those who keep 50 birds or more are required to submit their details. But as part of a move to tighten up on disease control in the wake of recent avian influenza outbreaks, this is being extended to all poultry keepers.   After registering their birds, keepers receive important updates, such as local avian disease outbreaks and information on biosecurity rules to help protect their flocks.  The register will also be used to identify all bird keepers in disease control zones, allowing for more effective surveillance.

New rules for urea-based fertilisers from 1 April 2024

The new rules state that uninhibited solid urea can only be used from 15 January to 31 March, as part of efforts to limit emissions. The new rules only apply to England and affect any fertiliser that contains 1% or more of urea and is soil-applied.  It means solid urea fertilisers must be used with an inhibitor for most of the year.  Uninhibited liquid urea can be used from 15 January to 31 March but must be used with an inhibitor from 1 April unless agronomic justification is provided by a FACTS-qualified farm personnel or adviser.  Compliance will be overseen by Red Tractor, with farm inspections including records of responsible fertiliser use.

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Extension to scope of Agricultural Property Relief

The Government has announced an extension to the existing scope of Agricultural Property Relief.  This will now include all Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs), covering the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship (and other stewardship schemes) and Landscape Recovery, as well as the England Woodland Creation Offer and other similar schemes from 6 April 2025. .This means farmers and landowners taking part in such schemes will be eligible for Agricultural Property Relief and exempt from relevant inheritance tax.   It also removes a significant barrier to tenant farmers and landlords collaborating to enter schemes by removing the risk that tenants’ participation in schemes would change whether the land is eligible for APR.  Read more on this Defra blog post.

 

Defra limits amount of land which can be taken out of production under SFI

New measures limiting the amount of land farmers can take out of productive actions under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) have been announced today (Monday 25 March).  The changes will ensure the scheme continues to support farmers to produce food sustainably alongside improving the environment.   Under the changes, SFI applicants will only be able to put 25% of their land into six SFI actions that take land out of direct food production. The actions are:

  • Flower-rich grass margins
  • Pollen and nectar flower mix
  • Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land
  • Grassy field corners and blocks
  • Improved grassland field corners or blocks out of management
  • Winter bird food on improved grassland.

Read more on this Defra blog post.

Apply now for animal health and welfare equipment grants

The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) 2024 includes 3 grants to help you buy equipment or technology to improve productivity, manage slurry and improve animal health and welfare.  As from 20 March you can apply for a grant for equipment to improve animal health and welfare.  The application window will be open until 12 noon on 1 May 2024.  The Rural Payments Agency will pay you a grant amount of 50% towards either:

  • the average cost of the item – if an item costs you the same or more than the expected average cost in this list
  • the actual cost you pay for the item– if an item costs you less than the average cost in this list

Defra developed the list of equipment with farmers, vets and other experts. There are over 130 items on the list and 29 are new for this round. You’ll see a range of items: from mobile cattle handling systems to enclosed piglet creeps to poultry perches. If you’re a livestock farmer, it’s worth taking a look.

Visit this page for further information and for the link to the list of equipment covered by the fund.

Do you know a farmer who deserves a long service award?

The Warwickshire Agricultural Society awards grants for charitable causes and supports local agricultural shows.  The Society also presents long service awards such as an engraved tankard and a framed certificate, to long term agricultural workers with over 20 years service.

Do you know someone who deserves a long service award?  Please forward their name and contact details to Jane at the Rural Hub, who will pass on the details to the Society.

Contact Jane

Funding available for rural businesses, charities and parish councils in Stratford on Avon District

The new 2024/25 UKSPF (Year 3) and REPF (Year 2) funding programmes were launched on Monday 11 March 2024 and will be open until Tuesday 9 April 2024 at midnight.  These are the final years of these funds and all actions and projects being funded by them will need to be completed by the 31st of March 2025.   So, if you are interested in securing a grant for your business or organisation, please read on.

Both UKSPF and REPF grants are available to any business (both incorporated and sole traders/partnerships) or other legally created bodies (such as parish councils, local authorities, charities and the VCSE sector). Please note, REPF grants are for farm business diversification, not food production. The maximum grant bid is £50,000 and minimum is £2,000 and is for capital or revenue monies, depending on the relevant intervention.  Full details of both funding programmes are available on the following link:

https://www.stratford.gov.uk/people-communities/ukspf-repf-year-3-call.cfm

It is strongly recommend that you read the guidance document before starting your application as it will help you focus your application and save time in the long run.

If you have any queries that cannot be answered through the webpage or guidance document, please email ukspf@stratford-dc.gov.uk

 

 

Changes to list of government approved disinfectants

Recent changes made to the list of approved disinfectants throughout February by Defra have resulted in the suspension of some commonly sourced disinfectants for a range of diseases including bTB and a variety of poultry diseases.  If there is a notifiable disease outbreak on your farm, by law you must use a Defra-approved disinfectant at the correct concentration and dilution rate for the specific disease.

Read about the changes to the list of approved disinfectants on this page.  View the list of Government approved disinfectants on this page.

Quicker results for farmers with expanded use of PCR testing for bTB

The Animal and Plant Agency (APHA) has now expanded the use of rapid PCR testing of post-mortem tissue samples from animals with suspected bovine TB infection, following the success of its initial rollout. The new method reduces the time taken for APHA laboratories to report results to livestock keepers from up to 22 weeks to approximately 3 weeks.     For farmers, this new tool will reduce the stress of waiting for results to be delivered and provide earlier certainty about the presence of bovine TB in their herd. For a small proportion of samples the PCR test may not produce a definitive result. When this occurs, livestock keepers will be informed that additional testing could take up to nine weeks.

Defra summarise all the grants available in 2024

The latest Defra blog post has summarised all of the grants available to farmers and landowners in 2024.  For the definitive, up-to-date list of all farming payments and guidance in England, bookmark Funding for Farmers and Land Managers.  . The page contains both Defra grants and their ongoing payments. It also includes Countryside Stewardship https://www.gov.uk/guidance/funding-for-farmersgrants and it is updated regularly. 

Read the blog post on this page.  

Read how to make your application to SFI as straightforward as possible

When you apply for the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Defra want your experience to be smooth and as flexible as possible.  They have therefore written this blog post about what they’re doing to make the process of applying as straightforward as it can be, and the steps that you can take to prepare for your application.  You can read the blog post on this page.  

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A donation to the Rural Hub of any amount is always gratefully received. However, only donations of over £100 can be acknowledged on our Hub Supporter's page.  A donation can be paid by cheque, BACS, standing order or by the Paypal link below.  If you would like our bank details please contact the Co-ordinator on info@ruralhub.org.uk 

 

 

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

 

Rural Hub

Co-ordinator

Jane Hampson
E: info@ruralhub.org.uk

Tel: 07780 159291

 

Warwickshire Rural Hub CIC Directors

Karen Ellis (Chair)
Amy Brant
Rosemary Collier
Emlyn Evans
Ian Jelley
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

 

 

Disclaimer

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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