Agriculture is set to benefit from more than £168 million in grants to boost innovation, protect the environment and support food production and animal health and welfare, the Government has announced at the NFU National Conference.
During the conference in Birmingham, which was attended by the Thrings Agriculture team, Farming Minister Mark Spencer unveiled the grants, which would be delivered through the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) and Farming Investment Fund (FIF).
These sit alongside the Environmental Land Management schemes that incentivise environmental practices on farms such as managing hedgerows for wildlife, planting nectar-rich wildflowers and managing crop pests without the use of insecticides.
The announcement follows comments made by NFU president Minette Batters at the conference that the “clock is ticking” for the government to protect homegrown food supply and start putting “meaningful, tangible and effective meat on the bones of the commitments it has made”, citing a rise of almost 50% in agricultural costs since 2019.
Russell Reeves, Partner in the Agriculture team, who was at the conference, said: “It was heartening to hear the Farming Minister outline these grants for the Agriculture sector. Farmers continue to face extreme working and financial challenges across the country and it is crucial they are getting the support they need to meet these pressures.
“The NFU President is absolutely spot on when she defines the three cornerstones of a prosperous farming sector to be boosting productivity, protecting the environment and managing volatility, and while the narrative behind this latest cash injection into the industry is most welcome, we look forward to examining the detail with great interest.”
The Thrings Agriculture team has been chosen by the NFU to act for its members in more counties than any other firm. Find out more about how we can support farmers, food producers and rural communities on our Information for Farmers page.
