Farmers in England will be able to apply for grants of up to £10,000 when the Catchment Sensitive Farming capital grant fund opens for applications on Friday 1st March 2013.
Grants will be available again this year for carrying out practical works on farms that will help boost the health of England’s streams, rivers, meres and mosses by improving water quality and reducing pollution from agricultural activity.
The fund, which is administered by Natural England, operates across England and is available to holdings situated within the CSF project's 79 catchment areas.
This year's grant scheme will open for applications on Friday 1st March and the deadline for completed applications to be returned to Natural England is Tuesday 30th April 2013.
The grants scheme has a budget of £15.5 million to distribute in 2013/14 to help fund capital works on farms.
More than 40 types of project are eligible, including installing water troughs, managing pesticides to reduce groundwater impacts, roofing manure and silage stores and works to keep livestock away from streams.
The Capital Grant fund is a competitive scheme with grants going to applications that best meet the scheme’s priorities.
Grants of up to a maximum £10,000 per holding are available and the scheme can pay 50% of the cost of agreed capital works.
In addition to the grants scheme, the specialist training and advice offered by the Catchment Sensitive Farming local team can save farmers’ money, leading to better business efficiency while at the same time bringing positive environmental outcomes.
The free, specialist advice on offer covers a wide range of topics from providing information on nutrient management, planning and soil husbandry, to providing details of the latest developments in fertilizer spreader calibration and soil and water management.
Catchment Sensitive Farming is a joint project between the Environment Agency and Natural England, funded by Defra and the Rural Development Programme for England, working in priority catchments within England.
