The Farm and Countryside Service
Rams at Stalling Busk.Image © Dave Higgins.
Farming in the uplands is challenging, both physically and economically. The management of the Yorkshire Dales National Park by farmers and landowners is intrinsically important, not only for the conservation of the landscape but also to help conserve and protect some of Britain’s rarest habitats and species. Farms are important rural businesses and employers and are a vital component of rural society.
The Yorkshire Dales National National Park Authority's Farm and Countryside Service provides help and assistance on the wide range of grants and schemes available to all farmers and landowners in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. We aim to:
Enhance the environmental qualities of the Yorkshire Dales National Park by working with farmers, landowners and key partners to secure good conservation management.
Work with key partners to advise on, and signpost farmers to, the full range of rural development funding.
Provide support for local farm businesses.
What do we do?
Agri-Environment Schemes
Farmers learning how to managerush pastures to benefit
breeding birds like Lapwing
We work closely with Natural England who administer the Government's agri-environment scheme, Environmental Stewardship. Further details on this scheme can be found on the Environmental Stewardship section of the Natural England website.
We aim to provide a first stop service to farmers and landowners on agri-environment schemes. This includes:
Barn near Muker restored usingagri-environment scheme funding
Free advice visits to explain the range of national and regional grants available and how to apply for them;
Help with all aspects of the Environmental Stewardship Scheme application process and the different levels of the Scheme:
Entry Level Stewardship (or ELS and UELS):
Hedgerow managementnear Sedbergh
We will help with:
Understanding the complexities of the scheme, option choices and points totals;
Completion of the application and the compulsory Farm Environment Record.
Higher Level Stewardship (or HLS):
A restored moorland wallPart of the application for HLS is a Farm Environment Plan (FEP). This is a detailed assessment of all the features found on the farm holding and producing one is grant funded by Natural England. We can provide all the expert help, survey skills and information required to do so.
We can advise on HLS option choices and help with the completion of the application.
There is a charge associated with this work
To find out more about how we can help you with any grant applications, please contact us by phone on 0300 456 0030 or by email on facs@yorkshiredales.org.uk.
Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme
The Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme (FFIS) is part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) and is a scheme which has been developed to help farming, forestry and horticultural businesses in England become more efficient at using resources. The Scheme aims to help make your business more profitable and resilient whilst reducing the impact of farming on the environment.
There is £20 million available under FFIS until December 2013. The grants are for capital items and the grant rate available is up to 40% in non-upland areas and up to 50% in upland areas. The minimum grant per application is £2,500 and the maximum is £25,000. Further information on what can be funded under FFIS can be found on the link below.
The scheme is competitive and there is no guarantee that you will be successful in your application. Grants are paid in arrears so you will need to demonstrate that you have the ability to payroll the whole project until the grant is paid to you.
For more information about the scheme, including the handbook and the application form, please see the following link:
The Farm and Countryside service are available to offer advice and help where they can to anyone who is interested in applying to this scheme - please do not hesitate to contact us.
Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF)
Fenced river bank and cattledrinking area (grant funded
through the Raydale Project)
CSF is a programme that aims to reduce the amount of pollution in rivers, groundwater and other acquatic habitats caused by farming operations. We have been working in partnership with Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Rivers Trust on two projects within the Lune and Semerwater catchments, giving advice to farmers within these areas to help them improve the water quality of the rivers, lake and streams.
Slurry injection to aid grassgrowth and reduce risk of
nutrient run off
For more information, see the links below:
Semerwater and Upper Lune Catchment Partnership
For more information about our work with the Semerwater and Upper Lune Catchment Partnership, download the newsletter below:
Farm-based sustainable energy production
Farm-based energy production and the use of green technologies are becoming a more viable option for farmers with various grants available to help with the purchase and build of the products. The Government's Renewable Heat Incentive and Feed in Tariffs provide incentives to install renewable heating and small scale low carbon energy production.
You can read about some examples of renewable energy production on farms in the Yorkshire Dales National Park by reading Dr Dorian Speakman's article, 'High Power', reproduced from the autumn edition (number 116) of the Yorkshire Dales Society's Yorkshire Dales Review publication.
More details on these schemes and other regional grants can be found on our Sustainable Development Fund pages.
To find out more about how we can help you with Catchment Sensitive Farming, please contact us by phone on 0300 456 0030 or by email on facs@yorkshiredales.org.uk.
