Farm Waste Grant opportunity is only temporary
By
Paul Smith, PCS Consultant
November 2003
On October 15 2003 Defra brought in new rules regarding important changes in the Farm Waste Grant Scheme in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones. PCS recognised the attractiveness of the original scheme and was not reluctant to communicate this short-lived good news to its clients. The European Commission shared our opinion so much that Brussels regards the scheme as state aid and consequently DEFRA has recently had to obtain EC approval to keep within the law. The scheme will close permanently on 31 March 2006 but grant applications will have to be submitted by 31 October 2005. A grant of 40 per cent on an expenditure of ceiling of £85,000 should justify finding the time and embarking on the inevitable paper-chase with some help from PCS.
A key feature of the modified scheme is that prior approval must be obtained before farm waste works get underway. Otherwise, the applicant runs the risk of receiving no grant payment. Other important changes involve two critical deadlines:
Pig farmers whose NVZ land was designated in 1996 must get their applications in by the first deadline, 31 December 03.
Over the next two years some £7.6m will be injected into the scheme, albeit with the blessing of the European Commission. If the money runs out applications will be judged on a points system. Look out for the associated tick-boxes on the new application forms. Running countries never was an easy business. When governments are required to enforce new legislation a 'carrot and stick' strategy is often employed. The Farm Waste Grant Scheme is Defra's carrot.
This payout precedes the biggest legislative stick to hit the UK pig industry since the sow stall ban, i.e. the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control regulations. This blunt instrument is already exerting itself on 'larger' existing pig units contemplating expansion and by January 31 2007 will hit all remaining sizeable pig units. It is estimated that around 60 vertically integrated contract finishing units with more than 2,000 pig places operate in East Anglia alone. In some instances productive breeder feeder units with little more than 300 sows could be caught in the prickly IPPC net. Pig farmers must confront the reality of tougher pollution prevention regulations and make the most of any help they can get, time is running out.
If you want to discuss how PCS can help guide you through the scheme and would like our information pack, please complete the two boxes below and you will be contacted (or if you prefer, call 01543 472861).