Farm consultancy

Advance BPS Payments to be made in August

July 2023

After receiving feedback from last years advanced BPS payments, which were made from the end of July and across August, RPA have announced that they will continue to make advanced payments again this year to help farmers and landowners during times of increased pressure on cash flow.

This year, BPS advance payments will be paid on a single day which will be on the 1st August 2023. This amount will be up to 50% of your total BPS payment for 2023, with the remaining balance to be paid in December 2023.

Both payments will reflect the progressive reductions of BPS, as BPS continues to phase out until 2027.

If you would like to understand how these reductions wil…

Sustainable Farming Incentive - What we know so far

July 2023

The SFI will open in August 2023 for new applicants. The standards have been updated giving farmers a wider offer of options to apply to their farming business. There are now 8 different themes to the scheme giving a total of 23 actions to choose from.

Updates to the scheme since 2022

- An annual Management payment is available to cover participation costs.

- Some SFI Actions can be collocated with some Countryside Stewardship Options in the same parcels or areas of land.

- Shorter agreement lengths that do not require landlord consent to make the scheme more applicabl…

April Update

April 2023

Farming Investment Fund

The farming investment fund is made up of two separate funds and provides grants to improve productivity and bring environmental benefits. These are:

Farming equipment and technology fund (for grants between £1,000 - £25,000) Farming Transformation Fund (for grants between £25,000 and £500,000)

Farming Equipment and Technology Fund – Animal Health and Welfare Items

If you are wishing to apply for grant funded items under the Animal Health and Welfare Scheme the deadline if 15th June 2023. Submit your application online using the Animal Health and Welfare portal here Farming Equipment…

Available grants in 2023

March 2023

2023 Grants

Below is a brief summary of each of the grants available in 2023, which in total is providing £168 million of available funding.

If you require assistance with the following grants and competitions, feel free to contact us on 01380 724687 or email us at info@akcagric.co.uk.

Grants to Support Farming in Protected Landscapes:

Offered through the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, grants are available to farmers located within Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Parks, and the Broads.

These grants are available to support nature recovery, reduce impact of cl…

Basic Payment Scheme application window now open

March 2023

Apply now for 2023 BPS Payments

Applications for 2023 BPS to the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) are now open. For this year’s rules and guidance to help you with your BPS application, click here.

Key dates for your diary 2023:

14th March – BPS applications open

15th May – Last day to submit your BPS application

9th June – Last day to make certain changes to your BPS application submitted before midnight on 15th May, without incurring penalties. This is also the deadline for late submissions, which will incur a penalty.

From 2024, RPA plan to start replac…

Animal Health and Welfare Review

February 2023

Interested in receiving a fully funded annual visit from your chosen vet or team of vets?

The Animal Health and Welfare review provides livestock owners the opportunity to receive bespoke advice from a vet of their choice on herd and flock health. Diagnostic testing on endemic diseases are also provided, ensuring the review is completed to each farmer’s specific health and welfare priorities.

To be eligible, your animals must be registered in England, you must be responsible for their welfare, and you must have one of the following:

New round of Farming Equipment and Technology Fund grants opening soon

February 2023

The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, part of the Farming Investment Fund, provides the opportunity for farmers, foresters, and growers in England to apply for grants on specific items of equipment which help to increase productivity, environmental sustainability and improve animal health and welfare.

Contractors in these sectors can also apply.

Grant funding can range from £1,000 to £25,000 on items from a prescribed list.

…

Additional funding available to improve productivity, sustainability & resilience

January 2023

The researcher starter competition will be launched at the end of this month and shall provide farmers, growers, and foresters the opportunity to apply for a share of £850,000 to improve productivity, sustainability, and resilience.

The first round of the competition was launched in October 2021, and it is designed to develop bold, collaborative, and ambitious ideas that help the agricultural sector reach net zero targets. So far, a range of products have been funded, from digital solutions for vineyard planning, to soil benchmarking and automated insect protein for poultry.

The competition is de…

Rural England Prosperity Fund

November 2022

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) has been created as a top up to build on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSFP). The Shared Prosperity Fund which was announced earlier this year had already supplied funding of £2.6 billion but has now been topped up by an additional £110 million through the Rural England Prosperity Fund, targeted specifically at rural communities in qualifying local authorities.

Both funds share similar aims and priorities and have been created to lessen the issues faced in rural communities, they will support the aims of the governments ‘Levelling Up’ programme by providing grants for small businesses and community inf…

AKC to provide free business support to farmers

October 2022

As part of the final stage of the Future Farm Resilience Fund (FFRF), farmers receiving BPS payments are now entitled to free business support to help plan for the changes to wider Agricultural Policy over the next two and a half years. This will include tailored follow up support relevant to your unique circumstances. This may include adopting new funding streams, new farming techniques or successional changes within the business.

AKC Consultants are available to deliver the business resilience service across the South of the UK, which forms part of a £32 million Defra funded programme. The initiative launches in October 2022 and runs until March…

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