Sustainable Farming Incentive
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the temporary closure of capital grants within the Sustainable Farming Incentive on (a) the Great Big Dorset Hedge project and (b) other community-led environmental initiatives.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra paused the standalone Capital Grant scheme, which includes grants to plant hedgerows, due to unprecedented demand. Defra announced on 24 February that all applications submitted before the scheme paused to new applications will be processed and funding will be granted to eligible applicants, including those who want to plant hedgerows. Defra does not intend to assess the impact of the temporary pause as this was a short period to re-assess the affordability of the scheme.
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