Rural Development Programme grants: How farmers can benefit
The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) is one of the government’s main programmes of grants and support for rural businesses, community groups and the environment, with a budget of over £1bn for new applications.
Strutt & Parker’s Paul Dennison talks us through the basics...
The programme is made up of five main schemes, which are expected to remain available until 2019–2020.
The Countryside Productivity large capital grant is now open, which can fund up to 40% of a wide range of farm and business investments.
The small capital grant (up to £35,000) will open soon with an easy, online application process. Also, now is a good time to start planning Countryside Stewardship Scheme applications.
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The current schemes are:
- Countryside Productivity Scheme
- Growth Programme
- Catchment Sensitive Farming
- Countryside Stewardship
- LEADER
Farm Productivity
This grant scheme is targeted towards livestock, dairy, arable and horticultural businesses seeking to invest in projects that will improve their productivity.
This grant can fund up to 40% of a project, with the minimum application set at £35,000. This threshold requires projects to have a total cost in excess of £87,500.
Forestry Productivity
This grants scheme is designed for private forest holders managing at least 10ha of forest and forestry contractor businesses.
This grant can fund up to 40% of a project, with the minimum application set at £35,000. This threshold requires projects to have a total cost inexcess of £87,500.
Click here for more information
Water Resource Management
This grant scheme is targeted towards arable and horticulture business seeking to improve farm productivity by securing water supplier and using it for irrigation.
This grant can fund up to 40% of a project, with a minimum claim request of £35,000. This threshold requires projects to have a total cost in excess of £87,500.
Adding value to Agri-Food
This grant scheme is designed fro processors of primary agricultural and horticultural products, including food and drink businesses in rural and urban areas.
The grant can fund up to 40% of a project, with a minimum claim of £35,000. This threshold requires projects to have a total cost in excess of £87,500.
Click here for more information
Rural Tourism Infrastructure
This grant scheme is designed to assist in the cost of capital expenditure on tourism infrastructure.
This grant can fund up to 40% of a commercial project and 100% of a non-commercial project.
The minimum threshold requires projects to have a total cost in excess of £87,500.
Click here for more information
Business Development
This grant scheme is targeted towards farmers looking to diversify into non-agricultural activity and small rural businesses.
The grant can fund up to 40% of a project that enables a rural business to grow and create more jobs.
The normal minimum claim is £35,000. In order to meet this threshold, projects must have a total cost in excess of £87,500.
Click here for more information
Food Processing
This grant scheme is designed for food and drink businesses that process agricultural and horticultural products.
Farmers looking to diversify can also apply. The grant can fund up to 40% of a project that enables a business to grow and create more jobs.
The normal minimum claim is £35,000. In order to meet this threshold, projects must have a total cost in excess of £87,500.
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