‘Up to £30,000’ is now the funding offer from Severn Trent, for its Severn Trent Environmental Protection Scheme (STEPS). The funding is available to farms (in the priority catchment area) that make on-site improvements to address water quality issues.
Severn Trent’s principal catchment management scientist, Dr Alex Cooke, said that the increased funding is available as the costs of materials and labour continues to rise. She added that the company has listened to those farmers who are looking to protect the environment but are inhibited because of financial burdens.
Therefore, the funding is available to farmers in Severn Trent priority catchments who are addressing issues such as the contamination of watercourses with nitrates, pesticides and cryptosporidium.
“There’s no doubt that it’s a challenging time for farmers, with uncertainty around ELM schemes and the future of subsidy payments, as well as significant hikes in input costs,” said Dr Cooke.
“We’ve taken all this into consideration and doubled the previous maximum match funding offer from £5,000 up to £10,000 for all items. But, in catchments where pesticide reduction is a priority, farmers can apply for up to £30,000 for washdown and disposal areas, and there’s also up to 75% funding for watercourse fencing.”
“Depending on the priority issue in your catchment, a range of items are available, from cover crops and pesticide washdown bays, to livestock fencing and covered handling areas,” concluded Dr Cooke.
To find out more about the STEPS funding, or to check if you are in a priority catchment area, visit: www.stwater.co.uk/steps.
