Policy paper

Rural Development Programme for England: outline of new programme

Published 10 June 2014

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

This policy paper was withdrawn on 16 March 2015

This document is no longer current. The RDPE programme document 2014 to 2020 was published in February 2015. Current schemes are listed under rural grants and payments.

This document has now been archived. The RDPE programme document 2014 to 2020 was published in February 2015. Current schemes are listed under rural grants and payments.

1. Outline of the new programme

The new Rural Development Programme will help you improve the environment, support your business or promote growth in your local economy.

The Rural Development Programme for England (RDP) is part of the Common Agricultural Policy, and is jointly-funded by the EU and the Government. We will spend £3.5bn over the seven years from 2014 – 2020.

The new schemes will start in 2015, and more information will available this autumn.

The European Commission is now considering our draft Rural Development Programme document and this is expected to take around 6 months. Once it has been agreed, the full programme document – setting out in detail how we will invest, manage, monitor and evaluate the rural development schemes – will be published on the Commission’s website. We will also publish a response shortly to the consultation on the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Rural Development Programme.

In the meantime we are finalising the schemes that will become available and developing guidance and application processes.

The Programme will support 3 main areas:

• managing the environment
• increasing farming and forestry productivity
• growing the rural economy

2. Managing the environment

There will be a new environmental land management scheme, which will be easier to apply for than the current schemes. It will combine the best parts of the existing Environmental Stewardship and English Woodland Grant schemes.

New funding will be available to support biodiversity, and other areas such as water quality, landscape, flood risk management, the historic environment and access to the countryside.

If you’re a farmer, forester or other land manager, you will be able to apply for funding to restore, conserve and enhance our natural environment.

The new scheme will offer:

• site specific agreements similar to the current Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme
• area specific agreements aimed at targeted improvements in the wider countryside
• multi-annual agreements, normally for 5 years – but these could be longer if benefits take longer to achieve
• a choice of management options, capital items and advisory support (depending on the agreement type)
• annual small-scale grants for certain activities – such as hedgerow laying, coppicing and stone wall restoration

More information about how you can apply for the new scheme will be available later in 2014. In 2015 you will be able to apply for an agreement which will start on 1 January 2016. However, payments for some woodland capital items will be available during 2015.

3. Increasing farming and forestry productivity

We will invest around £140 million to support farming and forestry businesses. You will need to bid for a share of this funding to:

• help you innovate, use new technology and use the latest research in your business
• improve your skills and training
• co-operate and collaborate with other farmers, foresters and others in the land-based sectors
• support projects that benefit the environment in a number of ways. For example, to help you tackle environmental problems as well as improve the amount or quality of your agricultural produce

More information about this scheme and how to apply will be available on GOV.UK later in 2014.

4. Growing the rural economy

You might be able to get funding to start or grow your business through a range of different funding opportunities. You will be able to find out about these opportunities through your Local Enterprise Partnership and LEADER Local Action Groups.

Local Enterprise Partnerships will have £177 million to spend on rural priorities. You might be able to access funding but the partnerships will decide how much money to spend in their area to:

• develop business knowledge and skills
• support small businesses or micro-businesses
• invest in broadband and renewable energy
• promote rural tourism

More information about Local Enterprise Partnerships’ plans will be available on GOV.UK in the summer.

Through the LEADER approach, Local Action Groups will have around £138 million available to spend in rural areas on the rural economy and on creating jobs. Funding will be available to farmers, foresters, other local businesses and rural communities.

Visit the RDPE network website, www.rdpenetwork.defra.gov.uk, to find out more.