Transcript
Thank you all so much for joining. My name is Dan, and I'm from Land App. Today, we're discussing future funding in partnership with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) and DEFRA.
Panelists & Agenda
We are joined by:
Sarah Wells: Senior Farm Advisor at FWAG, based in Gloucestershire.
Tom Lafford: From DEFRA's land use framework and environmental strategy team.
Q&A Team: Ollie and Lauren from FWAG SouthWest, and Rosie and Cathy from Land App, are helping to answer questions behind the scenes.
Our agenda today will cover:
An update on Land App's upcoming webinars and tools.
A live survey to understand who is on the call.
A brief roundup of the state of play for government schemes in Wales, Scotland, and England.
A roundtable discussion where we will answer your pre-submitted and live questions.
Land App Updates
We run these webinars monthly to keep you informed. For a recap of previous sessions, our YouTube channel has a wealth of resources on topics from "What is Land App" to Countryside Stewardship.
Next Friday, we will host a practical webinar demonstrating our tools for funding, including the Countryside Stewardship Validator and a new Higher Tier Validator. The following Friday, we will launch an update to Land App Mobile, which will allow for a new interface and offline collaboration, enabling multiple people to edit the same map in the field simultaneously.
Survey: Who's on the call?
We conducted a live survey using Slido to better understand our audience.
Audience: The majority of attendees were advisers, followed by farmers.
Location: Most attendees were from the South of England, with some representation from the North, Midlands, and Wales, but none from Scotland.
Current Schemes: The most popular current schemes among attendees were Mid Tier and SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive).
Private Funding: A majority of participants reported that they are not currently receiving private funding, with renewables (solar and wind) being the most popular private option for those who are.
Blockers: The biggest blockers to accessing private funding were identified as risk, knowledge gaps, uncertainty, and complexity.
Funding Scheme Updates
Wales ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ
The Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) will replace the previous Glastir scheme in 2026.
The Farming Connect program provides free advisory services for Welsh farmers, which is a key resource for those seeking grants.
The Habitat Wales Scheme is an interim scheme between Glastir and the SFS.
Scotland ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ
The Agri-Environment Climate Scheme has reopened for applications.
Advisory services are available, and the scheme is similar to England's Countryside Stewardship.
England ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ
The Capital Grant scheme has reopened, with around 4,000 existing applications now being processed. It is expected to reopen for new applications in the summer.
The new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier updates have been announced, with a focus on agri-forestry and natural flood management. Eligibility is invite-only, prioritizing those in the Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) pipeline or those who have been working with Natural England.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2024 was closed to new applications in March. However, existing agreements remain in place, and those who had submitted an application before the closure will still be offered an agreement if eligible. Those in the SFI pilot will be able to apply once their pilot agreement ends.
Roundtable Discussion & Q&A
The discussion focused on looking forward and providing clarity to farmers and advisers.
DEFRA's Future Focus: Tom Laford shared that DEFRA's future policy priorities include increased food security, farm business resilience (especially in the face of climate change), and a greater focus on nature recovery to meet statutory targets. A key objective is to simplify schemes and provide longer-term certainty, with schemes running for up to 20 years.
Higher Tier Stewardship: Sarah Wells highlighted that the new scheme includes exciting options for agri-forestry, particularly in high-density planting, as well as new options for water-dependent natural flood management. She also mentioned that Capital Grant plans are open now and can help prioritize farms for future Higher Tier applications.
Blended Funding: The panelists discussed the need for blended finance models that combine public and private funding. Private money is still a huge opportunity, and having a clear plan is the first step for any farmer, regardless of the funding source.
Land Use Framework: Tom mentioned that the Land Use Framework consultation, which closes on April 25th, is a key opportunity for farmers and advisers to influence future policy. It is a good way to provide feedback on issues like stacking payments and landlord-tenant collaboration.
Making Land Digital: Tom also shared DEFRA's goal to radically simplify the way farmers and advisers access information and funds, with an internal initiative called "Making Land Digital" that aims to learn from successful programs like "Making Tax Digital."
Private Funding Advice: For those interested in private funding, Sarah and Tom recommended talking to local organizations like community energy groups or exploring existing schemes with supermarkets or landscape enterprise networks. The key is to have a plan and then seek out the funding that fits it.