On Saturday 15th August DEFRA announced a £65m funding increase for farmers in England to combat the drought and ongoing dry weather following the driest July on record.
The measures include temporary adjustments to environmental land management schemes (ELMs); an increase in the funding for SFI26 window 2; support for the construction of on farm reservoirs and a reduction in the current planning restrictions surrounding reservoirs; changes to water access arrangements making it easier for farms to share water during drought.
The adjustments to ELMs have been introduced to give farmers flexibility within their existing agreements where the droughts have affected their ability to meet the requirements. Farmers are now able to: cut and graze land outside of certain restrictions which will help with shortages of grazing, fodder, forage crops and bedding. Farmers can also create firebreaks on land that is within an agreement to help protect livestock, crops and houses. They have also been given increased time to plant and establish their actions due to the overwhelming dry conditions, which has made it harder to plant and establish seed mixes successfully.
These changes are eligible to anyone with agreements in: SFI, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (current and legacy), Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier and Higher Level Stewardship (HLS). Eligibility is applicable across all counties in England and is intended to help farmers manage the immediate impact of the current drought. These adaptations can be made without incurring any change in funding or risking the eligibility of the agreements, until the Environment Agency returns the county’s status to normal.
The £50,000,000 increase in funding for window 2 of SFI26 now takes the total funding to £290,000,000 and this will provide invaluable support for farmers at a critical time. Window 2 is set to open in September with the demand expected to be extremely high.
£15m of funding will also be available to improve and build on farm reservoirs alongside streamlined planning rules. This will help farmers capture and store water so that independent supplies can be established on farm. DEFRA has commented that it will be publishing a response imminently to the National Planning Policy Framework consultation making it clear that local authorities should support the development of agricultural infrastructure, including reservoirs.
For further information on the increased funding available and how you can access it please contact Katie Hilton or Harriet Petherick.