The Rural Bulletin: 6th September 2018
A summary of the latest news and issues affecting rural landowners and businesses brought to you by Knight Frank.
2 minutes to read
Welsh grant funding to reduce farm pollution
Grant funding has been launched in Wales to help farmers tackle pollution.
The £6m funding pot opened this week (3 September) as part of the Sustainable Production Grant scheme with grants of up to £50,000 up for grabs. Money will be available for 40% of a project costing between £30,000 and £125,000 – meaning farmers are able to claim between £12,000 and £50,000.
Eligible items include roofed or covered slurry stores, silage clamps, systems for dirty water management, slurry tankers, fuel tanks, chemical stores and precision farming technology.
The application window closes on 16 October 2018. For more information visit: https://beta.gov.wales/sustainable-production-grant-general-rules-booklet
Scottish plastic burning exemptions to end
The exemptions on burning farm plastics in Scotland are set to be removed from next year.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency will end the 2013 exemptions affecting silage wrap, crop covers, fertiliser bags and containers.
In a report by Farmers Weekly, SEPA waste and landfill tax manager, Gary Walker said: “Ending the exemption for burning farm plastics is an important next step in stemming the plastic tide by reducing the environmental impacts of farm waste.
“By recycling, farmers are once more doing their bit for the environment, supporting their local community and helping ensure that plastic materials are kept in use for as long as possible by maximising the value that can be extracted from them.”
Harvest 2018 draw to a close
Harvest 2018 is nearing completion, with around 80-90% of crops now cut, according to traders.
Spring barley yields were said to be particularly disappointing, meaning nitrogen levels were much higher than usual. However, other quality parameters remained largely unaffected despite the dry weather.
In East Anglia, farmers had experienced a second round of combining, with a number of late crops now ripening on the coast.
Free business advice up for grabs via the Prince’s fund
The Prince’s Resilience Fund will once again be offering free one-to-one business advice for up to 300 farmers over the coming 12 months.
The aim of the funding is to enable farmers to make changes to their business structure to improve profitability. Workshops will include advice on areas like analysing finances and managing costs.
Applications opened this week (3 September) and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis for up to 20 families in each of the 15 set locations around the UK.
Farmers working outside of the locations can still apply but must be willing to travel to attend meetings.
How can we help? Knight Frank's Rural Property Management team is on hand to advise on a wide range of private and institutional clients on the hugely diverse property assets that they own.