The government has announced on Thursday 3 July that farmers can benefit from £150 million in new funding via a new round of Capital Grants.
 

This is set to fund a wide range of on-farm projects – from tree planting and flood prevention to improved slurry storage and water filtration. 
 
The government said that new items have also been added including assessing woodland condition, creating wildfire management plans, repairing drystone walls and hosting educational visits.  

 * Soil Association Head of Farming Policy Gareth Morgan said: *  “Farmers need the support of both the government and the British public to make the changes necessary to transform the UK farming system to a profitable one that allows nature to thrive. So we are delighted to see capital grants reinstated for educational visits on farms. We know from the farms and Food for Life schools we work with that when people better understand the realities of farming and the beauty of UK wildlife, they want to support nature-friendly farmers. Reconnecting people with where their food comes from is a vital piece of the sustainability puzzle.
 
“The renewal of funding for capital grants is also an encouraging sign that the government is committed to reopening an improved Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme. Today’s news should give farmers a much needed boost in confidence that the government is still backing the nature-friendly farming plans so many farmers were making before the SFI closed. It also puts tree planting and hedgerow restoration back on the table after support for agroforestry was paused, which is a great result for farm resilience and nature. Defra must next ensure the SFI is revamped and reopened swiftly, and that both the SFI and capital grants are used to spark a true transformation to agroecological and organic practices across entire farms all around all around the country.”