The Crown Estate has doubled its funding to support its farmers improve nature recovery through its Rural Environment Fund as part of new measures announced to support the delivery of ambitious biodiversity targets.
The £20m fund, increased this year from £10m, will support tenant farmers to transition to a future farming model which creates better outcomes for food production, nature recovery and to support development of diversified income streams for farmers.
This was one of a number of measures published to support the delivery of ambitious biodiversity targets, in an update to the business’s Nature Recovery approach.
This will include a repurposing of 15% of farmland let on new tenancies to nature recovery by 2030 and restore or start creating Habitats of Principal Importance (HoPI), backed by a £20m Rural Environment Fund. The Crown Estate is also committed to developing shared visions for nature recovery with graziers with common rights and other stakeholders in Wales and Cumbria and delivering action plans by 2030.
The Crown Estate’s role is to create long-term value for the country, and it focuses on using the land and seabed it manages to help support decarbonisation and the energy transition; restore nature; create inclusive communities and drive economic growth.
In October, it published a new ambition for Nature Recovery to drive a consistent approach across its diverse assets on land and seabed, following a 12-month engagement process with a wide range of nature experts and organisations.
The Crown Estate’s 15-year environmental Farm Business Tenancy, designed with the support of The Tenant Farmers Association, seeks to create the ‘guardrails and opportunities’ for both parties to further this ambition, whilst supporting food production and accelerating nature recovery by repurposing 15% of farmland let on these new tenancies.
Paul Sedgwick, Managing Director of Windsor & Rural at The Crown Estate, said: “Farmers are at the frontline of a number of societal and economic challenges, particularly our changing climate and risks to our food production and security. Food production remains at the core of our farmers’ businesses but the need to balance this with nature recovery is of paramount importance.
“Our existing Rural Environmental Fund has increased the available funding to help us partner with farmers to navigate these changes and the many risks they face in operating long-term family businesses within one of the UK’s most crucial industries. This will help support a transition to future farming models which adapt to changing needs and are more resilient and recognise that restoring nature is essential for both national and farm-level resilience.”
