News

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 23rd May 2024 So, the election has been triggered, precipitately resetting the cycle of government at a time of much unfinished practical business. While a new Parliament can, with time, change decided law, all outstanding policy decisions, as for DEFRA’s Higher Tier Scheme, are now for the new government once in place and briefed – and capable of going down different roads. As Parliament rises by Thursday, almost all...

DEFRA is hosting a webinar on Wednesday 29 May at 11am to go through the guidance, actions and detail for the expanded SFI offer. Those wishing to join can register here: Webinar Registration - Zoom.

The Welsh Government Small Grants - Yard Coverings scheme is now open for applications. Guidance notes on the scheme, booklet, and how to use RPW Online to apply are available.

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 16th May 2024 The fruit and vegetable sector is a strong contributor to the value of UK agricultural output. It has been under severe economic pressure as costs, risks and necessary working capital have risen well ahead of produce returns. Weather and labour add to the challenges. Production volumes, areas and confidence have all fallen. It is clearly magical thinking to suggest that saying the British public ought to eat...

As many will be aware, the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive in England will be opening this summer. The RPA will be offering a controlled rollout of the scheme to a limited number of people before the scheme opens to all applicants. This small number will be able to apply for the scheme early so that the RPA can open the service in a controlled way. They will also be asking these early applicants about their experience of submitting an application, so that they can improve the service in...

Many will be aware that there are significant delays in the creation and submission of annual claims for Countryside Stewardship. The RPA is encouraging agreement holders to continue to with their claims. They have advised us that: 'We will make sure that those affected are not disadvantaged. We will keep a record that the system performance has affected their ability to claim and they won’t receive any late claim reductions if we receive their claim after 15 May because of this.' Those...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 9th May 2024 Land drainage and the management of water offer one of the ways to tell the story of our landscapes as millennia of hard work have made a wet land productive. Even now, for many soils having good field drainage is the precondition for land to give its potential – becoming more important with the spread of no-till practices. With 40 years since the last major wave of drainage investment, this winter has shown...

Those preparing to submit a claim for CS or ES in 2024 are reminded that the land use codes for the relevant parcels should be updated where there have been changes.

Recognising the prolonged period of wet weather, an Extreme Weather Summit meeting was held resulting in Welsh Government highlighting the importance of investing in resilience. In response to concerns over slurry storage capacity the Welsh Government has announced there will be two schemes which specifically support investment in on farm infrastructure, these are: the Nutrient Management Investment Scheme andthe Small Grants – Yard Coverings scheme. Both schemes are to open shortly and £20m...

Following CAAV representations, the RPA has now postposed the planned downtime for the system from 13th May to 16th May. That planned for the evening of 15th May still appears to be going ahead.

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 25th April 2024 Targets are everywhere in modern government. In principle, they can set a discipline to achieve results, measured and monitored for management. Sometimes, so many are set that they confuse or even counter each other; some are badly set with perverse results. Some targets seem set just as a gesture, with magical thinking that a target is an answer not then needing action, role playing in response to pressure...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 18th April 2024 We are almost always in the middle of a story. The past is not over but rather a prologue. The future is yet to come, evolving from now but with surprises. There is rarely a conclusion, though sometimes hindsight suggests a move to the next Act. The present is simply a waystation, not an answer. More than for some time, we are living amid accelerated change and disruption, perhaps familiar with what we have...