Farmers will get a £40 million productivity boost today as the
Environment Secretary announces the opening of a new
grants scheme for investment in cutting edge technology and new
equipment.
Speaking at the 2017 World Dairy Summit in Belfast, the Secretary
of State will invite farmers and food processors to apply for
grants under the Countryside Productivity scheme.
Under the scheme, grants are available to help livestock, dairy,
arable and horticultural farmers improve farm productivity
through investing in new technology, such as robotics, to reduce
cost or improve product quality. The funding can be used on
diverse investments, from robotic milking machines to green
technology.
The scheme also offers funds for farmers and food processors to
invest in new equipment and machinery to improve the processing
of milk, meat and fruit.
Speaking ahead of the summit, Environment Secretary said:
Farmers truly are the backbone of our rural economy and as the
original friends of the earth, we want to support them to grow
more, sell more and export more great British produce – all
while doing good for our environment.
This new funding is a wonderful opportunity for our farmers and
food processors to invest in the technology they need to boost
productivity, competition and, of course, sustainability as a
key factor in future proofing our world leading food and
farming industry.
The Countryside Productivity scheme is part of the Rural
Development Programme for England (RDPE) and this latest
announcement is the second phase of the Large Grants
scheme announced in July 2017.
The first phase of the scheme included a £6 million fund for
Improving Forestry Productivity and a £14 million scheme for
Water Resource Management.
The Government also recently announced a £30
million Rural Broadband
Infrastructure grant and a new Bovine TB Advisory
Service supported by more than £1 million of RDPE
funding.
