Application forms for the second part of the government’s Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme will be available online from today. The first round of the scheme, aiming to support farming and forestry businesses looking to improve their environmental impact or animal welfare credentials, was launched by farming minister Jim Paice in November last year.

Part of the Defra-managed Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), an effort to stimulate rural growth through a series of business grants, Defra said the scheme is intended to support “farming, forestry and horticultural businesses in England to become more efficient at using resources, more profitable and resilient whilst reducing the impact on the environment.”

Under the FFIS, farmers can receive grants of up to £25,000, covering 40 per cent of the cost of improvements to businesses and up to half the cost in upland areas. Applications will be accepted until 17th July this year.

Defra officials have said the focus of the second round of applications is on reducing farming’s impact on the environment, after livestock measures were awarded most grant funding in the last round.

Grants will be allocated under the following five categories:

• Nutrient management
• Energy efficiency
• Water resource management
• Animal health and welfare
• Forestry

A handbook offering greater detail of grant parameters is available here. The application form is available here.

Tweet