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Nature Improvement Areas all set to deliver

Congratulations to the individuals and organisations involved in the 12 successful Nature Improvement Area (NIA) partnership projects which start delivering this month.

The 12 NIAs will each get a share of £7.5 million to create wildlife havens, restore habitats and encourage local people to get involved with nature.  From restoring chalk grassland, salt marsh and upland heathland, creating new native woodland, wetlands, a lagoon and dewponds to improving the conditions for birds, butterflies and amphibians, these 12 sites will provide the space for wildlife to thrive.  
Local partnerships worked on proposals for how they intend to use the money to improve their local nature sites for the enjoyment of the public and the benefit of wildlife.  The 12 successful NIAs were chosen from among 76 groups who competed to receive funding for their project. The NIAs will be delivered by a variety of partnerships of local bodies, including ones led by farmers, NGOs, AONBs and a National Park. Delivery is over a 3 year period.

The 12 NIAs are:

  • Birmingham and the Black Country Living Landscape
  • Dark Peak
  • Dearne Valley Green Heart
  • Greater Thames Marshes
  • Humberhead Levels
  • Marlborough Downs
  • Meres and Mosses of the Marches
  • Morecambe Bay Limestones and Wetlands
  • Nene Valley
  • Northern Devon
  • South Downs Way Ahead
  • Wild Purbeck

Cumulus Consultants can help partnerships deliver NIA aims and objectives, supporting local delivery through innovative, sustainable and practical proposals. Rural Consultant, Jeni Pring says “having worked effectively on many partnership projects, we understand the value of a partnership approach in ensuring successful delivery, and believe the funding of NIAs offer a significant opportunity to achieve long-lasting biodiversity and community benefits”.

For further information on how we can assist with NIA or other landscape scale delivery,  or to find out what is being offered in your area, please contact us on 01386 584950 or info@cumulus-consultants.co.uk.

More information on NIAs is available on the Natural England website: www.naturalengland.org.uk/nia.

Environmental Stewardship Update

Natural England (NE) has recently published information of how they will be managing Environmental Stewardship up to the end of the current RDPE programme in December 2013. This is particularly relevant for farmers who have expiring Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) or Countryside Stewardship (CSS) agreements in the next two years as they clarify the steps to be taken to avoid a gap between the old and new agreements, give detail on establishing the suitability of holdings for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) and provide deadlines for submitting applications.

Entry Level Stewardship

ELS remains open to all with a flat rate payment of £30/ha/yr. There have been some changes to options and some new options since the start of the scheme and you can choose options to suit your farm; however the emphasis is now on uptake of appropriate ELS priority options such as wild bird seed mixes, nectar mixes or resource protection options. For further advice on making the most of ELS on your farm, please call us.  

Higher Level Stewardship

HLS still remains a competitive and targeted scheme, aiming to achieve the greatest environmental benefits through a focussed approach to delivery. With this in mind, NE has radically changed the way in which HLS offers are planned and made.  Since 1st July 2011, all HLS applications have been processed under one of three HLS tiers: fast-track, standard and complex. The tier in which your holding falls is determined by NE through certain criteria and the 3-Tier approach should speed up the process of completing HLS agreements.

Targeting of HLS means that applications are judged against the HLS Targeting Statements which cover both target areas, where there are concentrations of key environmental assets, and eight thematic targets such as reversing the decline of farmland birds. We would be happy to discuss whether your farm may be eligible for HLS or provide more information on the application process.

Expiring Environmentally Sensitive Areas and Countryside Stewardship Scheme agreements

Over the next few years, there are a large number of ESA and CSS agreements coming to an end.  Natural England is keen that environmental benefits from these agreements are maintained, either through an ELS agreement or a HLS agreement.

If your scheme is expiring over the next few years it is well worth getting in touch with us or your local NE advisor to see whether all or part of your holding meets the standards for HLS or whether you will need to make an ELS application. We can also advise you on how to transfer your ESA/CSS land into an existing ELS agreement if you have both schemes on the holding. Current figures from Natural England suggest that 85% of the land coming out of CSS and ESA is coming into Environmental Stewardship (ELS, OELS, UELS and HLS), with on average 47.75% coming into HLS.

Transition to the next RDPE programme (2014-20)

There has been plenty of discussion in the farming press about how the transition to the next Rural Development Programme (RDP) will work and how it will affect existing agri-environment agreements which continue beyond 2013. The next RDP is due to start from 1 January 2014 and run until 2020. Defra have produced an Information Note and Q&A which focuses on new legal requirements which have clarified how RDP changes are likely to affect ELS/OELS and Uplands ELS agreements which start in 2012 or 2013.

In a Defra Press Release on 12/12/11, Jim Paice (Minister for Agriculture) pledged to make sure that English farmers who are thinking about entering or renewing agri-environment agreements could choose to opt out without penalty if they had to make changes to their agreements as a result of CAP greening.

Drought Derogations

To help farmers and growers cope with the drought conditions affecting some parts of the country, Natural England have announced that appropriate Environmental Stewardship (ES) derogations will be made available as quickly as possible to farmers who are in agri-environment schemes.  Requests for derogation are most likely to relate to:

  • grassland stewardship options - including requests to cut hay early for fodder, supplementary feeding or permission for swards to be grazed lower to alleviate animal welfare concerns,
  • spring-sown wild bird and flower & nectar seed mixes - for example, where plots intended for spring-sown mixtures have been baked hard and a significant amount of fuel and labour would be needed prepare a suitable seed bed.

For further information, advice and help with ELS, HLS or any other Environmental Stewardship matter, please contact Jonathan Brunyee or Jeni Pring at Cumulus

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) Grants available NOW!

CSF aims to deliver practical solutions and targeted support to enable farmers to take voluntary action to reduce diffuse water pollution from agriculture to protect water bodies and the environment.  This year there is £21 million available through the Capital Grant Scheme, available to farms in priority catchments. The scheme is open for applications from 1 March to 30 April 2012 so apply now!

The Capital Grant Scheme is a competitive scheme based on catchment-level priorities as identified in the relevant Funding Priority Statements and is targeted more specifically at holdings within target areas of these catchments. There is a range of capital items available for example watercourse fencing, roofing for manure stores and pesticide loading and wash down areas and each one has a guide price. The grant will fund 50% of the actual cost.  

Detailed maps for individual catchments can be viewed on the MAGIC website www.magic.gov.uk.  From the MAGIC website select the ‘interactive map’ tab then for Step 1 “What data you wish to view” select the ‘Rural Designations-Other’ button and for Step 2 “Where do you want to go” enter the postcode. This will load a map that will show if your land is in a priority catchment or catchment partnership and CGS target area. You may need to turn off some of the other designations using the ‘List of Layers’ button next to the map to see the land area more clearly. Green hatching shows the Priority Catchments, Blue hatching shows the Catchment Partnerships and Brown hatching shows Capital Grant Scheme (CGS) target areas.

For more information and advice on grant funding opportunities in your area, or help with a CSF application, please contact Jeni Pring or Jonathan Brunyee at Cumulus.

The Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme – Apply Now for 2012

Under the Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme (FFIS) farmers, foresters and horticulturalists in England can apply for grants of up to £25,000 to invest in green projects and new machinery that help increase profits and reduce their impact on the environment.

The fund, part of Defra’s current Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), can support initiatives that:

  • save energy and reduce carbon emissions;
  • reduce dependence on artificial fertilizers through better use of manures;
  • improve soil quality;
  • improve animal health and welfare;
  • save and recycle water; and
  • promote woodland management by processing timber more efficiently.

Grants can cover a maximum of half of the total cost of projects in uplands areas and at most 40% of the total cost of projects in non uplands areas.  Soil aerators, slurry injection machinery and variable speed parlour pumps are all eligible items.

The first round of the FFIS was run in 2011. The second round is expected to open in late April/May 2012 but Jonathan Brunyee of Cumulus Consultants suggests farmers should start planning now.

‘Most farmers left it until the last few days to apply in 2011 and met with stiff competition, lots of information to find and forms to fill out.  Farmers should start puling together their application now ready for when the window opens’.

The current RDPE comes to an end in 2014 and as yet we do not know what CAP reform and the new RDPE measures will contain. FFIS type grants may or may not be available, so don’t miss out.

For more information or help with your FFIS application contact Cumulus Consultants.

Rural Economy Grant Launched

The new Rural Economy Grant (REG) provides grants to enable a significant 'game-changing', transformational performance in farm, forestry, tourism, agri-food businesses and micro businesses in rural areas in England.

The £60 million REG has been established in response to the findings of Defra's Rural Economy Growth Review (launched in November 2011), which through consultation and an in-depth analysis of a broad range of research, identified large grants (of £25,000 up to circa £1 million) are needed in key business sectors to unlock significant rural economic growth potential. 

Project applications will need to demonstrate that as a result of a grant their business will achieve a significant step change in performance (such as job creation, increased turnover, access to new markets etc).

The REG application process is competitive and those projects offering the greatest return on grant investment will be more likely to be successful.

The application process includes two stages. A Stage 1 outline application should be made by 30 April 2012. If your outline application is endorsed, you will be invited to submit a full application.

For more information or help with your REG project contact Cumulus Consultants.

Free Entry Level Stewardship visits

The team at Cumulus have been working with Promar on behalf of Natural England to deliver free advisory visits to farmers whether you are:

  • thinking of applying for ELS, OELS or Uplands ELS for the first time, or
  • renewing an existing agri-environment agreement, or
  • looking for guidance on how to manage your existing agreement more effectively.

We can provide a free meeting on your farm to include:

  • discussion on the ELS, OELS and Uplands ELS options most suited to your farm to benefit farmland birds, wildlife, water, soil, the historic environment and climate change
  • information on new and updated options, and how your choice of options contributes to the Campaign for the Farmed Environment
  • practical suggestions on option location and management, such as tips on establishing wild bird and nectar seed mixes, guidance on buffer strip weed control, how to get a good sward structure
  • information and support on applying for Environmental Stewardship by paper or online, and
  • an explanation of the financial benefits of the scheme.

We are currently covering farms across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.

We will also be running a number of ELS Best practice events, aimed at establishing and managing options more effectively. We will be covering topics such as ‘making the most of ELS options for birds and insects’ or ‘managing the historic environment’. The events will include a farm walk to look at a selection of ELS options, and discuss:

  • potential environmental benefits of the option;
  • costs and economics of the option;
  • optimum location of the option on the farm in relation to other environmental features and habitats, farming practices or species requirements;
  • management requirements of the option;
  • changes in management requirements that have been made from earlier (first and second editions) and the latest (third) edition of the ELS handbook;
  • additional tips and training recommendations on techniques to establish and manage the option effectively.

If you are interested in having a visit or attending an event, please do call us.