EARLIER this year it was announced that the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme will be extended and run until March 2025 - so here's a taster of the projects that have benefit from the funding so far.
The programme is part of Defra's Agricultural Transition Plan, and it was launched in July 2021. It offers funding to farmers and land managers in AONBs and National Parks.
It was also announced that additional funds will be offered for year 3, from April 2023 until March 2024.
The FiPL programme funds projects that: support nature recovery; mitigate the impacts of climate change; provide opportunities for people to enjoy and discover the landscape and protect or improve the quality of the landscape.
Each AONB/National Park has a FiPL officer who advises applicants and applications are reviewed by a local assessment panel (LAP) which meets every 6-8 weeks.
Funding wise, applicants can get up to 100% of the costs of a project if they will not make a commercial gain from it.
If they will benefit commercially from a project, then the programme will fund a proportion of the costs. The amount will depend on how much the project will benefit the business.
Applications over £5K are reviewed at meetings of the LAP which meets every 8 weeks, under £5K are reviewed by a senior AONB/National Park Officer.
Some of the most recent projects that have been supported by the FiPL programme include:
Cornwall AONB, Leyonne Farm
Grant awarded: £60,965.78
The plan involved transforming a dairy unit into a landscape with increased tree canopy cover and to introduce a range of additional environmental benefits across the farm.
Key aims included: establishment of additional wood pasture; creation of scrub blocks and grazing systems; transformation of intensively managed pasture into a ‘parkland style’ landscape; experimental agroforestry trialling mineral rich ‘tree hay’ forage; over-seeded grass leys.
Dartmoor National Park, Butterbrook Farm
Grant awarded: £26,500
Dartmoor farmer David Sadler secured funding over two years to restore an historic leat, create a new water supply and restore several wildlife habitats.
The funding has also enabled Mr Sadler to install a stream powered pump to supply several water troughs. This zero carbon solution has allowed him to adopt a paddock grazing regime which avoids the need for cattle to move through the wood pasture to drink from the stream.
Dartmoor is a stronghold for snipe and the pump overflow will be used to top up the supply to a wet scrape already used by this iconic wading bird, plus frogs and dragonflies.
East Devon AONB, near Colaton Raleigh
Grants awarded: £3515 and £5543 (total: £9058)
This project is a beaver wetland development. It included the expansion of the existing beaver wetland to create a thriving wetland habitat that brings water quality and biodiversity benefits and integrates with other land uses in the catchment.
Other key aims included: the co-development of a long-term monitoring and management plan for this site; a trial of existing Countryside Stewardship payment rates and options to test whether these work for beaver wetlands; development of a demonstration site for targeted stakeholders to learn about beaver wetlands.
Tamar AONB, Harlings Farm at Bere Alston
Grant awarded: £15,000
This project included the creation of a community hub, farm shop and cafe.
The key aims included: to sell local produce; to allow people to meet and connect with others; to enable educational visits; to allow people to cook and eat together.
Blackdown Hills AONB, Lower Shelvin
Grants awarded: £21,778 Lower Shelvin Farm | £3,504 Blackdown Hills Hedge Association
On three occasions over the last 20 years the farm has hosted the annual Blackdown Hills ‘Skills of the Hills’ hedgelaying event, when hedgelayers from across England converge on the Blackdown Hills to practice this traditional form of hedge management.
In March 2023, FiPL supported Fred Sage to host the hedgelaying event, enabling 620 metres of mixed hazel, willow, maple and hawthorn hedge to be expertly layed, in sections divided amongst more than 60 competitors. In addition FiPL funded fencing of the layed hedges and coppicing and gapping up of a further 240 metres of overstood hedge on the farm.
Alongside this, FiPL also supported the Blackdown Hills Hedge Association, which organises the Skills of the Hills event, in updating their first aid qualifications and acquiring new outdoor catering equipment. The latter meant that competitors in the hedgelaying event were able to enjoy a bacon buttie and a steaming cup of tea after their hard work.
South Devon AONB, Coleridge Farm, Chillington
Grant Awarded: £22,050.10
This project included selling of whole pasturised milk and milkshakes via a vending machine to residents and visitors to the AONB. The plan was to encourage members of the public into the countryside to educate them about sustainable food production and environmentally friendly farming via open days and interpretation boards.
The key aims also included: to provide somewhere for visitors to sit and enjoy the countryside; to provide a free car park; creation of an orchard and provision of owl boxes; and allow more family members to become involved in the farm business.
Exmoor National Park, Lee Abbey, Lynton in North Devon
Grant awarded: £9732.64
The project involved making permissive bridlepaths creating more access to woodland via new rights of way all mapped on a new leaflet paid for by the grant, to promote the new access.
It also enabled some maintenance and essential felling of ash trees for safety. The work created better access to the beach for a local campsite and visitors to the estate, together with new gates to facilitate the new access.
North Devon Coast AONB, West Bursden Farm
Grant awarded: £17,081
This project was focused on habitat creation, restoration and management, biodiversity and water quality improvement.
It included: planting of eight standard orchard trees with guards; erection of 13 wildlife boxes (various) and four large boxes for raptors; scrub clearance/management on culm grassland field; woodland glade creation and woodland coppicing.
The key objectives were: to enhance habitat for owl and other birds of prey species; to increase habitat connectivity and too increase biodiversity of habitat on the farm and in the landscape, e.g. through stepping stone habitats.
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