Defra minister unveils farm innovation and improvement grants at NFU Conference 2023
A fresh wave of government grants worth almost £170 million will be offered to farmers for agricultural innovation, food production support, animal health and welfare improvements, and environmental protection this year.
Speaking at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Conference in Birmingham today (21 February), Farming Minister Mark Spencer MP said the funding would drive the development of new technology and innovative farming practices, putting emphasis on practical solutions to advance food productivity, and deliver environmental and animal welfare benefits.
The grants, delivered through the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) and Farming Investment Fund (FIF), will sit alongside the Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs) which pay farmers for work such as managing hedgerows for wildlife, planting nectar-rich wildflowers and managing crop pests without the use of insecticides.
In total, the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has made more than £168 million available to farmers across its various grant schemes.
Speaking at the NFU Conference, Mark Spencer said: “The role farmers play in putting food on our tables as well as looking after our countryside is crucial. We know that sustainable food production depends on a healthy environment, the two go hand in hand.
“Helping farms invest in new technology as well as bringing in nature-friendly schemes will support the future of farming.”
Reacting to the announcement AIC's Chief Executive, Robert Sheasby, said: "Continued investment and support for UK farming is absolutely critical as the industry goes through this radical period of change.
"Today's announcement from Mark Spencer MP is welcome, in particular his emphasis on innovation to improve productivity."
The news follows a series of significant announcements by the Government on future farming policy in England, including upweighted payments to encourage farmers to take BASIS- and FACTS-qualified advice under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), with six new standards added for 2023.
Find out more about Defra's recent SFI announcement here.
Author
Oli Hill
As Head of Communications, Oli creates and oversees the content published on AIC's website, emails, Member briefings, print publications, and social media. A qualified multimedia journalist, he previously spent six years working at Farmers Weekly magazine as a Senior Reporter on the arable team, and latterly as Community Editor. More recently he was Communications Manager at Red Tractor.