£7.5m Catchment Sensitive Farming grants available

Natural England has announced the Catchment Sensitive Farming capital grant scheme will reopen for applications from 1 February 2014.

The scheme supports farmers to undertake practical works that will help improve water quality and reduce pollution from agricultural activity within the CSF project’s 77 catchment areas.

More than 40 types of capital items are eligible, including installing water troughs, roofing manure and silage stores and works to keep livestock away from streams.

A total of £7.5m is available and grants of up to £10,000 a holding are available. The scheme can pay 50% of the cost of the agreed capital works.

Farmers within the CSF’s priority catchments who are interested in making a grant application should contact their local catchment sensitive farming officer as soon as possible for more information.

The Capital Grant Scheme is a competitive fund with grants going to applications that best meet the scheme’s priorities and have the greatest environmental benefit.

The deadline for completed applications to be returned is 31 March 2014.

Catchment Sensitive Farming is a partnership between Natural England and the Environment Agency, funded by DEFRA and the Rural Development Programme for England, working in priority catchments within England.

Email catchmentsensitivefarming@naturalengland.org.uk for more details of the grant scheme.

(Learn more about Catchment Sensitive Farming by taking Farmers Weekly’s Water Protection Academy Course )