Farmers in the Midlands have until the 31 January 2021 to apply for up to £10,000 of match funding to help make business improvements that protect water and the environment, as part of the Severn Trent Environmental Protection Scheme (STEPS).
The STEPS scheme has run for six years alongside other environmental stewardship programmes, and has benefitted over 2,400 farms, contributing to business and water quality improvements.
Dr Adam Freer, from Severn Trent commented: “We’ve pinpointed key issues of concern in each of our 44 priority catchments, and through the scheme, we’re encouraging farmers to choose funded options that prevent pesticides, nitrates or cryptosporidium reaching watercourses.
“The grant can benefit both livestock and arable farmers, offering match funding for a wide variety of infrastructure and land management improvements.”
Dr Freer encouraged farmers to select a ‘priority item’ for their specific area to ensure their applications are competitive.
“Options vary from building pesticide washdown areas and covering livestock handling systems, to planting cover crops or installing livestock fencing, to name a few.”
He added: “While STEPS-funded investments are designed to benefit farm productivity and protect the environment, they also help to reduce treatment costs and therefore keep customers bills as low as possible.”
