Updates from Defra: Government announces reforms to boost profits for farmers, Countryside Stewardship Update, BSE Disease Status and more.

Each month, the team at Defra provides us with their updates, and we share the highlights that we think are most relevant and useful for you, our Land App community, here on the blog.

Please note that these updates are provided directly by Defra and are not written by Land App.

This month, Defra has shared the following announcements:

Oxford Farming Conference 2025: The government announces reforms to boost profits for farmers with a cast iron commitment to food production.   

On Thursday 9 January, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed set out the Government’s long-term vision to make farming more profitable and put more money back in the pockets of British farmers, while speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference.  

As part of the Plan for Change, the Secretary of State announced a series of reforms, to boost profits for farmers with a commitment to food production and delivering on the Government’s New Deal for Farmers.  

To read about these reforms, please read the press notice at GOV.UK. You can also read the full speech on GOV.UK. 

Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier 

On 10 December the Government published new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) guidance on GOV.UK. This includes details of 132 land management actions, and 145 capital items, 25 of which are new. An additional 6 capital items are available to support the preparation of plans for CSHT applications. 

The Government are currently offering pre-application advice to certain groups on a rolling monthly basis. Natural England and the Forestry Commission will work with those farmers and land managers to prepare to apply. 

As with other schemes, they’re rolling out CSHT in a controlled way so they can ensure everyone gets the support they need.  

The scheme will open for applications in summer to those who have been through the pre-application process.  

On Wednesday 8 January, Defra hosted a webinar covering the CSHT guidance and the process of working through the pre-application process with Natural England and the Forestry Commission. 

The session includes a Q&A section with the Defra Group, including representatives from Defra, Natural England (NE), Forestry Commission (FC), Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Historic England (HE) and the Environmental Agency (EA), answering questions from attendees. 

The recording of that session is now available to watch back in full. You can find the link at the bottom of the CSHT blog post. A follow up blog covering the summarised content of the webinar and frequently asked questions is also now available on the Defra farming blog. You can subscribe to the blog here

Defra seeking input from cattle farmers in bid for ‘negligible risk’ BSE disease status  
 

Defra are inviting all cattle farmers to participate in a short survey about cattle farming practices. This data will support our application for official recognition as BSE ‘negligible risk’ status by the World Organisation for Animal Health, which is currently under evaluation. This would cover England & Wales and Scotland as two zones of the UK. Northern Ireland has had negligible risk status since 2017. Achieving this status will support cattle farmers by helping to facilitate international trade in British beef and feed products.  

We need to assess what types of feed storage units are in use on cattle farms and how old they are. We would like responses from as many farmers as possible so that we get a good understanding of the situation of the whole cattle farm population. The survey has been open since 2022, so if you have already submitted a response, there is no need to do so again. If you have not yet done so, we would like to hear from you. 

It consists of 7 short questions and should not take more than 10 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary and all information provided is subject to data protection legislation.  

Find out more and complete the survey. The survey is also available in a Welsh language version.

Often referred to as ‘mad cow disease’, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a notifiable disease. Livestock keepers are legally required to report suspicion of disease for any animal in your care. Keepers should remain vigilant for clinical signs of the disease – read more about how to spot them

Upcoming IPMNET conference   

The ADAS IPM NET is a free knowledge-sharing network to improve the effectiveness of Integrated Pest Management (IPM).  

The IPMNET Conference will take place on Thursday 13 February 2025 at the KingsGate Conference Centre, Peterborough. It is free to attend but you need to register.   

During the conference, expert speakers will review the disease, weed and invertebrate pest challenges in the UK during the 2023-24 season. In the afternoon there will be IPM workshops, supporting agronomists and farmers to review and improve IPM strategies. 

You can find out more and sign up here: IPM NET | The Yield Enhancement Network.

Being part of IPM NET will help you review your IPM strategy, and identify opportunities to reduce costs and improve the efficiency, sustainability, and profitability of your farm.  

IPM Resources  

Each week until 31 March 2025, ADAS will be promoting their new IPM video series, created in collaboration with Defra. The videos will bring to life the science behind IPM and showcase best practices for managing diseases in cereals. You can find further IPM recourses via their weekly bulletins here: IPMNET Bulletin 2025.

Avian Influenza Prevention Zone declared for whole of England – enhanced biosecurity essential

On 25 January, the UK Chief Veterinary Officer declared a new Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) to cover the whole of England, following the escalating number of cases of avian influenza and continuing heightened risk levels in wild birds. This requires bird keepers to conduct enhanced biosecurity to mitigate the risk of further outbreaks of the disease.

A housing order has also been extended in the north of England to now cover York and North Yorkshire, and a new housing order has been introduced for Shropshire.

A housing order remains in force across the East Riding of Yorkshire, City of Kingston Upon Hull, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk.  Areas with housing orders require the highest standards of biosecurity.

Poultry keepers are advised to consult the Interactive Map to check if they are impacted and should then read the relevant AIPZ declaration– depending on whether their area is with or without housing measures

Good biosecurity is the most effective way to protect poultry flocks and the profitability of businesses. This includes measures such as cleansing and disinfect clothing, footwear, equipment and vehicles before and after contact with poultry and captive birds– if practical, use disposable protective clothing.

Further information on the latest situation is available on GOV.UK, as well as guidance to help bird keepers prevent Avian influenza.

 £15 million government fund to help charities get surplus food to those in need (England only)
 

A new £15 million government fund will mean that thousands of tonnes of food that might otherwise go to waste will be delivered to those who need it most.  

To strengthen the links between farms and charities and help solve the problem of farm food waste, a new scheme will see grants starting from £20,000 made available to the not-for-profit food redistribution sector in England.  

 It will: 

  • reduce the costs farmers face when dealing with food waste 
  • increase the capacity and capability of the redistribution sector to take on farm surplus 
  • help the charitable sector work more closely with farmers, helping to find new opportunities to get their produce to those most in need within communities. 

Information on when the fund opens and full eligibility criteria for applications to be confirmed.

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