With recent government announcements and increasingly volatile weather making vineyard management ever-more challenging, the viticulture sector, can often feel like the forgotten pieces of the puzzle when it comes to grant funding, writes Beth Speakman of Ceres Rural.

Many aspects of agri-environmental funding and stewardship are open to all BPS eligible businesses, including horticultural. The government has now confirmed that 2025 will be the final year of BPS, with payments capped at a maximum of £7,250 per business, and it is crucial that viticulture businesses explore wider sources of funding to help de-risk incomes. 

Sustainable Farming Incentive

The scheme is designed to be more flexible, allowing a combination of actions across holdings. There are a handful of strong options which can be layered to accrue worthwhile revenue. 

One such option is CIPM2: Flower-rich Grass Margins, which pays £798 per ha. This can be established between or around vines, to promote pollinators and reduce frost risk without drastically increasing organic matter, all whilst providing economic benefit. It can be established either in the spring or late summer and also cut in the spring and late summer to maintain it. 

An alternative for between the vines would be deep-rooting cover crops to take up nitrogen, such as radishes with options: CSAM2, SOH2 or SOH3, depending on whether the cover crop is winter, spring or summer sown. For organic vineyards, OFM5: Organic Land Management option offers £707/ha for businesses that are certified as organic, and rewards businesses for their sustainable organic management practices.

For holdings with areas of permanent grassland, £151/ha is available for managing it with very low inputs (CLIG3) or higher payments for species rich grassland £646/ha (GRH6) – this requires endorsement from Natural England. Alternatively, £590/ha is available for Grass Field Blocks, (CAHL3), for squaring-up parcels and utilising grass edges.

SFI also rewards businesses that are integrating tech into vineyards, with the precision farming options available, such as variable rate application of nutrients (PRF1) and camera or remote sensor guided herbicide spraying (PRF2).

Lastly but most straightforwardly, there are payments for producing plans for soil, pest, and nutrient management (CSAM1, CIPM1 and CNUM1), granting funding for actions many businesses are already undertaking.

Capital Grant Schemes

A recent DEFRA announcement stated that presently, the application window for Capital Grants is closed. However, it is expected to re-open in early 2025.

In 2024, horticultural businesses were able to apply for a range of options, including, but not limited to, those featured below. A full list of previously offered items is available via: www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants.

DEFRA’s Future Farm Resilience Fund (FFRF)

Contrary to what the name implies, the fund is open to all BPS claiming businesses, and is designed to facilitate free professional advice for rural businesses, whether it covers SFI, agri-environmental schemes, carbon auditing, planning queries or biodiversity net gain, or all of the above. 

Through DEFRA’s FFRF, Ceres Rural can offer free business consultancy to help you navigate through this period of change in the industry. Your business must have a Single Business Identifier (SBI) number to be eligible for the funding, and you must have claimed BPS. 

The scheme ends in February 2025, so if you would like to claim your free advice, please contact:
Beth – beth.speakman@ceresrural.co.uk
Louise  – louise.penn@ceresrural.co.uk
or call: 01223 679679 to book a meeting

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