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Slurry Infrastructure Grant - Round 2 Now Available

October 2023

DEFRA have announced they are going to launch the next round of the Slurry Infrastructure Grant in November. For full guidance on the new round click here.

A webinar about the scheme will also be hosted by DEFRA on the 9th November 2023, to allow you to ask questions and discover more about round 2 of the grant. To attend this, please register here.

About Round 2

To help improve the use of organic nutrients on your farm and aid productivity and reduce pollution, DEFRA are offering grants between £25,000 and £250,000 to help improve your slurry storage.

Since the first round, five new improvements have been made to the grant to encourage…

Calf Housing for Health and Welfare Grant – Open - 7th September 2023

September 2023

The Calf Housing for Health and Welfare grant is designed to increase the health and welfare of calves (up to 6 months old) through upgrading, building new or replacing existing calf housing buildings.

Grant funded housing must provide a good ambient environment, appropriate group housing, good air quality, temperature, and humidity within the building, allowing calves to grow effectively and minimise health issues within the group.

Successful projects are those that:

Improve calf health and welfare … Read More

Sustainable Farming Incentive Update

September 2023

Application opens for early entrants from 18th September 2023

Businesses are invited to submit their expression of interest to participate in the initial roll out of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) from 18th September, prior to the scheme being rolled out to all eligible businesses.

DEFRAs intention is to manage the roll out of the scheme and applications in a controlled and careful manor, ensuring all farmers and land managers are offered the right level of support.

If you would like to register your interest to be an early entrant, complete the form below.

Apply Here

Once DEFRA has received your completed expression…

Funeral of Peter Ridout

August 2023

The funeral of Peter Ridout will be held at the Maryport Street Baptist Chapel in Devizes, where he served as a Deacon for many years, on Friday 8th September 2023 at 11.30 am.

The location of the Chapel is as follows and there are car parks nearby in the centre of Devizes.

Maryport Street Baptist Chapel Maryport Street Devizes Wiltshire United Kingdom SN10 1AH

https://www.maryportstreetbaptist.org.uk

Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show 2023

August 2023

AKC will be at the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show next week on Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th August 2023 on Stand C9. If you want to meet some of the team or perhaps have a question about changes in agricultural policy and new environmental land management schemes we will be happy to talk to you. We look forward to seeing you there! Where: Stand C9. Turnpike Showground, Motcombe, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 9PL

Peter Ridout

August 2023

It is with sadness we record the passing of Peter Ridout on 27th July 2023. Peter had been unwell for some years but throughout this time he retained a positive outlook fighting illness with typical resolve. He will be greatly missed by all at AKC as well as by the many clients and friends made by him over a long career in the farm advisory industry.

Peter joined Denis Carter and AKC in 1973 and had been with the firm for almost 50 years. He became a Partner in AKC in 1998.

Dedicated and hard working Peter often went above and beyond the call of duty in supporting his clients with a personal service. An exceptional professional with a wealth of knowledge of the industry,…

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…

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…

AKC welcome new team member: Adam Langford

May 2023

We are delighted to introduce to you the newest member of our team, Adam Langford, who will be our first agri-environmental consultant.

His background and skillset will enable us to provide our clients with additional services, by offering environmental assessments and ecological surveys. Adam will be providing specialist follow up work under the Future Farming Resilience Fund and will help to support all our clients in their transition to working with new land-based schemes.

Adam originally lived in Kent, and has been working for Natural England, following his postgraduate study in Wildlife Conservation. He also has spent time working on fruit farms in the Southeast, in addition to…

The Wiltshire Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute Dinner

May 2023

AKC are supporting the Wiltshire Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute beef dinner on the 25th May

If you are interested in supporting this worthwhile farming charity, see event details.

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