Q: We have heard there might be a separate grant scheme for floodplains and keeping them as grass. Is this likely in 2025?
A: Nick Mullins, H&H, said: I couldn't give you any guarantees at the moment. I'd love to say yes.
There is a desire and we have seen with some existing flood defences on farmland, those being removed to enable basically flooding on farm lands to try and reduce flooding in where people live because.
That's deemed more appropriate. Whether we'll get something in 2025 remains to be seen. I imagine if we do it would be part of a higher tier scheme.
We don't know. And one of the you know, we don't know a whether it'll be possible and B whether there'll be the advisors available to help with it. You know, there's huge demand for higher tier for catchment centre farming advice. Jane was saying earlier one of the issues we found.
Q: We are trying to diversify into utilising some land for health, fitness, mental health and well-being whilst maintaining their core output which is beef, lamb and grain. Is there anything suitable for us? We are in Hereford.
A: Simon Haley, SRH Agribusiness
If we're looking at something like the Rural England Prosperity Fund, which is delivered via local authorities, rather the direct from Defra itself, there are certain local authorities that can provide it.
A couple of clicks off Google searching for something called the Rural Prosperity Fund will identify whether your local authority has an allocation through that fund or not.
If so, good news, because actually one positive that came out of the budget a month ago is that the shared prosperity fund of which the rural Prosperity Fund is a is a part of was extended for a further 12 months and within that with a focus very much on diversification, local community as well as net zero and other things.
There might be support through that route.
There are certain other funds out there, one I'll mention called the Henry Plumb Foundation. For example, if you are between the ages of 18 to 35. There's two application windows a year in March and September, where there is up to £3000 worth of Grant aided support and a mentoring scheme.
Q: Many of the current schemes seem little use for small family farms, is there any support for us?
A: Richard Wordsworth, NFU senior adviser
We have always been concerned about the, the whole breadth of the businesses in the industry. And we pushed very hard, for example, the farm equipment and technology fund to reduce the minimum grants and out there because, scale is one element, but it's actually how much people can benefit from a small bit of investment or something like that.
And that's the point that we have made very strongly to Defra. I think the other thing here that we have also seen with some of the grants is where contractors are able to access the grant.
To then actually, you know, tap into some investment that actually then those businesses that can't justify or don't want to fund particular specialist pieces of kit can actually get the benefit through somebody else.
But yes, it does feel like a lot of the benefit is for slightly larger businesses and you know certainly from our point of view we do you know we see that all businesses are you know important and scale is its scale is to me is shouldn't be used as a reason why people are not offered or allowed things on that side.
Q: The Secretary of State wants to develop a 25 year plan for farming. He seems to be ditching some schemes and most others are delayed. If the panel were to advise the Secretary of State, Steve Reed, what would be their two priorities?
A: Nick Mullins, H&H said
I think, food production has to be at the forefront of it.
That is why farmers farm, they farm to produce food. Byproducts are the benefits of the environment, managing landscapes. And I'd also say, speak to farmers, you know, get out of Whitehall, get out of London, go and visit farmers, go and understand the challenges they face.
Work cross party on this because it's unlikely that in 25 years time we're going to have the same political party.
A: Richard Wordsworth, NFU senior adviser
Food and environment have to go hand in hand. We've got that. That has to be key. But the critical thing here and I think the bit that's missing at the moment is, the Government understanding farming.
Our industry is unique, it is fantastic. But it's not the same as the warehouses somewhere on an industrial estate where widgets are made and things are on tight timescales and you have tight turnaround times. We are very unique in lots of ways. People have got to understand that.
