DEFRA have announced that the payment rates for capital items within Capital Grants and Mid or Higher Tier Agreements will be significantly increased for all new agreements.

On average, the payment rates have been increased by 48%, with over 90 of the capital items available benefitting from the payment review.

The increase is hoped to bridge the gap between material/labour costs and grant funding that had developed in recent years, leaving agreement holders struggling to complete works in a financially viable way. This is paired with new agreement holders being allowed 3 years to complete any work, increased from just 2 seen in years before, allowing for more flexibility when entering into a Countryside Stewardship Scheme.

The Countryside Stewardship Capital Grant allows farmers and landowners up to £80,000 worth of funding to complete works such as fencing, walling, hedgerow management, slurry/silo roofing and much more across their land.

If you are interested in entering into a Stewardship scheme, or would like to discuss any of the other schemes currently available, please contact Rebecca at rebecca@jaagriculture.co.uk.