More than 800 farming business in Wales have applied for a share of £20 million from two slurry infrastructure schemes, the Welsh government has confirmed.
The Nutrient Management Investment and the Small Grants Yard Coverings schemes centre on supporting investment in on-farm slurry infrastructure.
They were launched in the spring to help farmers reach compliance with the Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021.
They are designed to enable farmers to improve slurry management by providing support for additional storage capacity and prevent rainwater entering slurry stores to reduce storage capacity requirement.
A high number of applications have been received, totalling some 800 farms across the country, the Welsh government announced today (25 September).
Grant awards with a value of nearly £1.1m have already been accepted under the Yard Coverings scheme and more than 700 Expressions of Interest have been received for the Nutrient Management Investment scheme.
The Welsh government said all eligible applicants to the Nutrient Management Investment scheme can now progress to the next stage and will need to submit their full applications by 9 December.
Rural Affairs Secretary Huw Irranca-Davies said he was ‘very pleased’ there had been a high level of interest in these schemes.
He said: “This will enable them to build resilience to extreme weather conditions – and help to improve water quality in our rivers and their tributaries.
“Public awareness of the state of our rivers has never been higher. This puts the agricultural sector in a powerful position to help improve the quality of our river environment.
“Farmers, landowners and agricultural businesses are at the forefront of this effort, and so it’s essential that we give them the support to develop sustainable practices and innovative solutions.”
He added: “I would encourage all those who have been selected to submit their full applications and take full advantage of the funding that’s available.”
