Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, has welcomed the Government’s announcement that more than £168 million will be available in grants to farmers this year to drive innovation, support food production, improve animal health and welfare and protect the environment.
This funding will drive the development of new technology and innovative ways of farming, with a focus on practical solutions that advance food productivity and deliver significant environmental and animal welfare benefits. These could include robotic technology to support with harvesting, handling equipment and cow mattresses to help prevent lameness in dairy cattle, sensors on tractors to measure the levels of nutrients in soils, or improvements to slurry storage to further the efforts of farmers aiming to minimise their fertiliser use, and in turn reduce water and air pollution.
The grants, delivered through the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) and Farming Investment Fund (FIF), will sit alongside the Environmental Land Management schemes which pay farmers for a diverse range of actions such as managing hedgerows for wildlife, planting nectar-rich wildflowers and managing crop pests without the use of insecticides. Additionally, a new dedicated funding for annual vet-led health and welfare checks for livestock has been announced through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. Farmers interested in the vet visit can now register their interest.
The Government has also confirmed it plans to introduce funding to promote enhanced productivity, innovation and improved animal health and welfare in smaller abattoirs. The availability of funding will help abattoirs to invest in new technology and improve productivity and animal health and welfare, allowing our agriculture sector to get its high-quality produce to market.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Sustainable food production depends on a healthy environment and helping farms invest in new technology as well as bringing in nature-friendly schemes is key. These schemes and grants will help to deliver long-term sustainable food production and support farmers to halt and reverse the decline of nature as set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan. Abattoirs are key in supporting rural economies such as that of Wealden and enabling our farmers to sell their meat locally and I am pleased that further support for small abattoirs will be available to maintain good animal health and welfare.”
