Countryside Stewardship facilitation fund to reopen for applications
© Tim Scrivener Three years after the last application window for the Countryside Stewardship facilitation fund, a sixth round of funding will open on Monday (13 December).
Uptake in previous rounds was high – 139 groups with more than 3,800 members successfully securing money – and the NFU has since urged Defra to open another round.
The new £2.5m fund, the first since 2018, is aimed at encouraging collaboration and knowledge-sharing among farmers and landowners.
See also: Farming Investment Fund grants – what’s on offer?
Groups can apply by submitting an overview of how they plan to work together to share knowledge, and protect and enhance their local environment at a landscape scale to achieve greater improvements than an individual holding could.
Through the latest fund, Defra is keen to provide support for new environmental priorities, such as the improvement of air quality through slurry removal, reduction of ammonia emissions, tree planting and shelters.
Support and advice for landowners to manage beaver activity is also earmarked for funding.
This round of funding is expected to invest in more than 30 facilitation groups.
The closing date for applications is 19 January 2022.
A similar collaborative working approach is likely to be taken forward through the Environmental Land Management scheme, specifically through the Local Nature Recovery scheme.