Plan ahead for collaboration fund opening, says Defra

Farmers considering forming a group where members work together co-operatively to deliver environmental improvements at a landscape scale have been told to start getting their plans in place.

Defra has said it will be opening its Countryside Stewardship (CS) Facilitation Fund in December 2021 and is urging farmers and landowners to start to think about how they might work with their neighbours, so they are ready to submit plans when the application window opens.

The scheme – now in its sixth year – offers funding to support a facilitator who can bring farmers, foresters and other land managers together so they can work collaboratively.

See also: How Local Nature Recovery collaborative schemes might work

Full details of how to apply will be published later in the year, and the Rural Payments Agency has promised this guidance will be refreshed to make it clearer and easier to access the fund.

In previous rounds, to be eligible the group was required to manage holdings with a combined area of at least 2,000ha.

This year’s fund will prioritise projects focused on the improvement of air quality through slurry removal, the reduction of ammonia emissions and tree planting.

It will also be looking at projects to manage beaver activity that will offer support and advice for landowners when beavers move onto their land.

The amount of money available will depend on the number of holdings involved in the group and the work required, but to date there has been a ceiling of £50,000 each year for facilitating a group of 80 holdings.

All applications will be assessed for value for money through a competitive process.

To apply, groups must submit plans showing how they will work together and share knowledge to protect and enhance their local environment, in line with their local CS priorities.

Ahead of application

Based on the previous version of the guidance, work that might be needed ahead of an application could include:

• Forming the group from prospective CS applicants (Mid Tier and/or Higher Tier) and/or existing Environmental Stewardship agri-environment and English Woodland Grant agreement holders.
• Working with the group members to agree the CS priorities that they will deliver from the statements of priorities, as well as any knowledge or skills that need to be developed to achieve this.
• Define the area that the group members cover.
• Work with group members to identify possible non-CS funding sources.
• Draw up a group agreement, if one is not already in place, covering how the group will operate, how it will handle any disputes within the group and members’ roles.
• Work out the total level of funding needed by preparing an outline budget.
• Engage with local initiatives and partnerships that could be delivering the CS priorities detailed in the statements of priorities.

Applications will be invited from December, with a closing date of 19 January 2022.

To date, Defra has funded more than 139 facilitation groups with more than 3,800 members.

This latest round of funding – with a £2.5m pot of money on offer – is expected to invest in more than 30 facilitation groups.

Defra farming minister Victoria Prentis said: “With today’s announcement we intend to provide sufficient time for potential groups to form and think about their objectives and local priorities, ahead of the fund opening in December.

“I encourage all interested individuals to get involved.”