News
February deadline for £35m rural growth fund
• £35m to boost rural productivity • Grants of up to £750,000 available • Scheme has created 3,700 jobs
F
armers are being invited to apply for a share of £35m in government funding to
boost rural productivity. The government’s Growth Programme – which could be ex- tended to £50m – provides grants for rural start-ups and business- es to purchase state-of-the-art equipment and machinery to grow their business or open up opportunities for tourism. The scheme has already grant- ed £99m to 546 local businesses across England, creating 3,771 new jobs in rural areas. The max- imum grant for food processing businesses is £750,000 – for all other rural businesses the max- imum is £180,000.
Previous successful applicants
include the dairy farmers behind the Our Cow Molly brand. They secured a grant of more than £160,00 to invest in a new pro- cessing unit, which allowed them to produce higher quality fresh milk and ice cream – creating six new jobs.
Unlocking potential Defra minister George Eustice said: “Our dedicated fund for ru- ral businesses has created more than 3,700 jobs and supported a diverse group of businesses, tour- ism operations and start-ups to unlock their full potential. “This next round of funding will help more businesses to grow and local areas to prosper – and I would urge any rural enterprise to look into what this scheme could do for them.
“
This next round of funding will help more businesses to grow
“I would also encourage farm- ers to consider how they might use this funding to branch out and diversify their business- es, making the most of emerg- ing trends and tastes and look- ing ahead to new opportunities.” For this funding round of the
growth programme, the thresh- old for minimum grants has come down from £35,000 to £20,000, meaning that more small or mi- cro-businesses can be eligible for a grant for their projects. Rural Payments Agency chief executive Paul Caldwell said: “I would urge all interested appli- cants to submit their expressions of interest as soon as possible to ensure they have plenty of time to complete a full application if their project is assessed to be eligible.” Interested parties need to send an expressions of interest form to the Rural Payments Agency, out- lining how they meet the criteria for the scheme – from creating new jobs, increasing business turnover, and improving productivity. Applicants will be invited to submit a full application if the agency considers the project to be eligible. The deadline for all expressions of interest is Sunday 16 February 2020.
Defra minister George Eustice is urging farmers to apply for funding
To check if your business is eligible, call the Rural Payments Agency helpline on 03000 200 301 or email GPEnquiries@rpa.
gov.uk. For more information on how to apply, visit
www.bit. ly/2020Growth.
Agriculture Bill back on table for new government
The Agriculture Bill – along with several other draft Bills – is set to return to Parlia- ment following the landslide Conservative victory in the General Election. After months of uncertainty, stagnation and frustrating weather, the nw government may at last start to provide much needed di- rection to farmers, says Mike Holland, sec- retary and adviser to the Agricultural Law Association.
“Since the EU referendum in 2016 poli- cy efforts have been redirected towards sus- tainability, environmental practices and in-
4 MIDLAND FARMER • JANUARY 2020
creased productivity in farming,” he explains. “We hope that under the re-elected Con- servative government we will soon begin to receive details of proposed legislation to which we can contribute and liaise on with Defra,” said Mr Holland.
“The natural assets of land are likely to
play an increasingly vital role – not just as the bedrock of agricultural enterprises, but in providing farmers with future fi nancial opportunities to protect and enhance the environment,” says Mr Holland. Farmers are likely to see increasing pros-
pects to weave carbon trading into their current business structures. “Early indica- tions from government on the direction of policy and proposed legislation will be nec- essary to assist anyone with an interest in land and its management.”
The industry has submitted detailed pro- posals to shape the sector post-Brexit. “As the government works towards the UK’s exit from the EU, we look forward to a progres- sive legislative agenda in the new Parlia- ment to secure the future direction of agri- culture,” said Mr Holland.
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