In April, The Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Rural
Affairs, , confirmed two funding schemes to support
investment in on farm
infrastructure, which will help to improve soil, air and
water quality, build resilience to the potential impact of
climate change and reach compliance with the Water Resources
Regulations.
Both schemes are designed to enable farmers to improve slurry
management by providing support for additional storage capacity
and/or prevent rainwater entering slurry stores to reduce storage
capacity requirement.
A high number of applications were received for infrastructure
support. Grant Awards with a value of £1.06m have already
been accepted under the Yard Coverings scheme and more than 700
Expressions of Interest have been received for the Nutrient
Management Investment scheme.
Even though there was a higher-than-expected demand, all eligible
applicants to the Nutrient Management Investment Scheme are being
invited to progress to the next stage and will need to submit
their full applications by 9 December 2024.
The Deputy First Minister said: “I'm very pleased there has been
such a high level of interest in these schemes with more than 800
farm businesses applying for support. This will enable them
to build resilience to extreme weather conditions - and help to
improve water quality in our rivers and their tributaries.
“Public awareness of the state of our rivers has never been
higher. This puts the agricultural sector in a powerful
position to help improve the quality of our river environment.
“Farmers, landowners and agricultural businesses are at the
forefront of this effort, and so it's essential that we give them
the support to develop sustainable practices and innovative
solutions.
“Over the past year we have seen the impact the wet weather has
had on agriculture - which also shows the importance of investing
in resilience.
“Our future generations will be farming in much more challenging
conditions. We must act today to adapt and respond to these
challenges - taking steps to build resilience to the potential
impacts of climate change.
“I would encourage all those who have been selected to submit
their full applications and take full advantage of the funding
that's available.”
Notes to editors
- Final budget requirement will not be known the until full
applications have been appraised, contracts issued and accepted
by applicants. Should the budget exceed £20m we will manage this
from within our budgets.
