WIREDGOV

Farmers in the South West are reminded not to miss out on the opportunity to apply for Catchment Sensitive Farming grants of up to £10,000 this year.

Over the last seven years, the Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) project has been working with hundreds of land managers who farm in South West England.  CSF, which is a partnership project between Natural England and the Environment Agency, provides grants, free training and advice that supports farmers to adapt their farm management to help the environment and can also indentify savings for farm businesses.

One area of East Devon, West Dorset and South Somerset that is benefiting from the initiative is the catchments of the River Axe and River Otter, where the local project officer, Bryn Thomas, has been providing free advice to the area’s farmers and supporting grant applications.  CSF Advisers like Bryn are working with local farmers throughout England to support work that is reducing the risk of water pollution from agricultural activity.

Since 2007, the Catchment Sensitive Farming capital grant scheme has invested more than £1.5m of grant funding in the Axe and Otter Catchment.  The main items that have been funded are roofing over livestock yards and manure stores; clean and dirty water separation including concrete yard renewal; new livestock and machinery tracks; and fencing livestock out of water courses.

Farm improvement works can be funded with up to 50% grant aid, up to £10,000 per holding, and more than 40 types of project are eligible for funding.  Over the years the CSF grants have been matched with a similar amount of funding from the local farmers involved; demonstrating their impressive commitment to the environment and representing a total investment of up to £3m into farm infrastructure and local businesses in the catchments.  In the 2012/13 grant scheme year, a further 82 farms received approval for grants worth £734,379.

This year’s CSF capital grant scheme has a budget of £15.5 million and the deadline for applications is Tuesday 30th April 2013.  Information for applicants is now available in the online Farmers Handbook  or contact the Natural England CSF team on 0300 060 1111 to request an application pack.

Bryn Thomas, the Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer for the Axe and Otter, is delighted with the response from farmers in the South West and praised their interest and enthusiasm for the project.  He said: “There has been a really positive response from farmers who recognise the benefits for the environment, as well as their businesses from the support provided by the Catchment Sensitive Farming project.”

Stephen Hembrow - a beef farmer near Stockland, Honiton - is delighted with how the CSF Capital Grant Scheme has helped him roof over livestock yards to significantly reduce the volume of dirty water produced.

He said: “The CSF grant has been a wonderful help to my farm and has allowed me to roof over a large area of yard and prevent dirty water running into the river that runs through the farmyard. Without the grants I would not have been able to carry out the roofing works as the investment would have been too great for the business. The covered yards have also been of benefit to the cattle and there have been better weight gains and less waste of feed.”

Bryn added: “Catchment Sensitive Farming is an excellent example of what can be achieved through partnership working. In addition to the grant scheme, the specialist training and advice offered by Catchment Sensitive Farming's local team can save farmers money, leading to better business efficiency as well as bringing positive environmental outcomes.”

The free, specialist advice on offer from the CSF team covers a wide range of topics from providing information on farm infrastructure and slurry storage and management, to detailed advice on soil and water management.

For more information about Catchment Sensitive Farming in the Rivers Axe & Otter catchments, please contact Bryn Thomas at CSFInformationandQueriesNE@naturalengland.org.uk

Fact File: River Axe and River Otter

The CSF team is working across a total area of 71,300 ha (713 km2) in the Axe & Otter catchments.  Since 2006, the CSF project has been working with 351 local farms, which between them cover around 26,000 ha.  So far, around 260 of these holdings have had individual visits and practical advice on issues ranging from nutrient and soil management and advice, to farm infrastructure audits and water management advice.

River Axe

13km of the river Axe is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The SSSI and SAC were designated for the geomorphological interest, diverse communities of aquatic and marginal vegetation and fish species of European importance (bullhead, brook lamprey and sea lamprey).  The Axe catchment was selected as a priority catchment due to the contribution of diffuse pollution from agriculture to poor water quality, the unfavourable status of the SSSI and SAC and failing water quality standards under the Water Framework Directive.  The main pressures on the river are sedimentation and increased phosphate levels which have an adverse effect on the ecology of the river.  Catchment Sensitive Farming aims to work with farmers to promote best practice land management and reduce sediment, phosphate and nitrate losses to the river.

River Otter

The Otter catchment is underlain by regionally important aquifers that are important for public and private water supplies which are suffering from elevated Nitrate levels.  A number of tributaries and stretches of the River Otter are also failing under the Water Framework Directive.

Additional notes:

• Grants are available for carrying out practical works on the farm that will boost the health of England’s precious streams, rivers, meres and mosses by improving water quality and reducing pollution from agricultural activity.  The grant scheme, which is administered by Natural England, is open to farmers and land managers in the CSF scheme’s target areas

• Farm improvement works can be funded with up to 50% grant aid from the CGS and more than 40 types of project are eligible for funding.  If the scheme is oversubscribed, grants will be allocated to those applications which best meet the scheme’s priorities, are within target areas and will deliver the greatest environmental benefit.

About Catchment Sensitive Farming

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

• The project is proving successful in reducing diffuse water pollution from agriculture and is important in helping to meet the Water Framework Directive standards. Catchment Sensitive Farming was introduced by Defra in 40 priority catchments in April 2006 to raise awareness and encourage early voluntary action by farmers and land managers to tackle diffuse water pollution from agricultural sources.

• The project is part of the national response to meet the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive and contributes towards achieving Natura 2000 objectives.

• Since it began seven years ago over 6,000 farmers and land managers have received around £54m in grants for capital works

For further information (media enquiries only) please contact:

David Hirst, Natural England press officer david.hirst@naturalengland.org.uk