NEWS RELEASE
Date: 6 December 2007
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£3.9 billion boost for English countryside
Record investment of £3.9 billion over seven years for rural development was confirmed today by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.
Funding under the government’s Rural Development Programme for England 2007-2013 will be more than double the previous budget, helping to protect and enhance the environment, make the agricultural and forestry sectors more competitive, and secure a sustainable future for rural communities.
Mr Benn said:
“This huge investment will have social, economic and environmental benefits not just for rural communities but for all of us. It will support environment-friendly farming and improvements to the land that are good for wildlife and water quality and contribute to tackling climate change.
“This is good news for farming and forestry, rural businesses and community projects. I want this money to help keep England’s countryside beautiful and make it a thriving place for people to live in, work in and visit for generations to come.”
The programme includes support for energy crops, which will contribute to the government’s target of 20 per cent energy from renewable sources by 2020.
The programme, part-funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, has been agreed by the European Commission and European Union. This paves the way for full implementation of the Programme in the New Year.
For more information go to www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/rdp07_13/index.htm
Notes to editors
1. Around £3.3 billion of the total budget will be allocated to agri-environment and other land management schemes. £2.9 billion of this will be delivered by Natural England through Environmental Stewardship, to help farmers manage the land more sustainably and deliver important environmental outcomes on biodiversity, landscape and access, water quality and climate change.
2. Natural England will also deliver the Energy Crops Scheme, which will support the establishment of around 60,000 hectares of crops which will be used to provide renewable energy.
3. Funding will also be available to support the sustainable creation and management of woodlands, delivered by the Forestry Commission
4. Around £600 million will be delivered by England’s Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), to make agriculture and and forestry more competitive and sustainable and to enhance opportunity for rural businesses, social enterprises and community projects. This includes around £100 million that will be used specifically to assist the livestock industry in tackling some of the particular challenges it faces. The RDAs will also manage delivery of the community-focused Leader delivery approach, working closely with Natural England and the Forestry Commission.
5. Following agreement by the EU’s Rural development Committee, the legal decision formally approving the Programme should be published by the new year, allowing full implementation of the new Programme in January.
6. Some changes have been made to the Programme to secure approval. Further information about the changes and how they will be managed, in relation to Environmental Stewardship and the Energy Crops Scheme, will be available on Natural England’s website http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/. Natural England will be working closely with stakeholders and customers to manage the introduction of these changes in a practical, customer-friendly way.
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Page published: 6 December 2007