Herefordshire Rural Hub Helping Rural Businesses Thrive Company No: 7495168 May 2020 Newsletter Herefordshire Rural Hub CIC Agriculture House COVID-19 Coronovirus – some useful links Beech Business Park Tillington Road Gov.UK Guidance for employers and businesses Hereford, HR4 9QJ Tel: 01432 268 428 Marches Growth Hub Co-ordinator Information on the advice and support being offered for businesses, employers, self-employed. Caron Johnson [email protected] Herefordshire Council Administrator The latest news on how Coronavirus is affecting Frances Keogh residents and services across the county [email protected] Event bookings WISH Herefordshire Tel: 01432 353 465 If you need information, advice or support during the COVID-19 situation, [email protected] including where you can order ready-made meals, groceries/food for delivery, take a look at what's available in your local area Hub Directors Liz Lloyd (Chair) Red Tractor COVID-19 Hub Chris England Christine Hope NHS How to protect yourself or check if you need medical help Cathy Meredith Dan Robertson Kate Speke Guidance on Public Rights of Way and access due to COVID-19 Hub Hot Group Including posters for you to download The Directors and ….. Jenny Beard AHDB Ben Corbett Up to date coronavirus-related information and advice Paul Crumpton for Farmers and Growers Catherine Every Charlotte Gibb Clare Greener APHA TBHub Caron Johnson Rachel Jones Frances Keogh Andy Offer Thank you to our “Go To Businesses” who can be found Julian Partridge Nick Read on our website at www.herefordshireruralhub.co.uk/go-to-businesses/ Disclaimer Berrys --- DJM Consulting --- Moule & Co The Herefordshire Rural Hub Hope to Achieve --- 7Y Training --- CXCS accepts no liability for any direct, indirect or Davis Meade Property Consultants consequential loss Lanyon Bowdler Solicitors arising from any action Mortimer Rose Wealth Management taken in reliance on the Fisher German LLP information contained If you would like to be a “Go to Business” go to:- in this newsletter. http://www.herefordshireruralhub.co.uk/apply-become-go-business/ or contact Frances for more information – Email [email protected] Window to submit applications for the Basic Payment Scheme & claim for Countryside Stewardship, Environmental Stewardship & woodland legacy revenue payments has been extended. In light of the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak, farmers and land managers will now have until 15th June to submit their applications without penalty. Full details HERE In addition, the period for amending your claim without penalty has also been extended to 30th June 2020, with final submission of applications and claims now to be with the RPA by 10th July 2020. Farmers and land managers are still encouraged to submit claims and applications online for BPS and CS through the Rural Payments Service as soon as they are able to, so that the RPA can process them as swiftly as possible. Please Note:- The deadline for NEW CS Agreements remains the same - Higher Tier - 1st May and Mid-Tier - 31st July 2020 Applications are still being accepted. Basic Payment Scheme & Cross Compliance 2020 England BPS 2020 Guidance Guidance to Cross Compliance 2020 in England Single Application Form & Glastir Commons Applications Wales Application period extended The submission deadline for SAF & Glastir Commons applications and supporting documents has been extended to 15th June due to Covid-19. Late submission penalties will apply from 16 June until 10 July. Wording in the applications has not been th amended to reflect the new dates. 15 May remains the declaration date for land at your disposal. Cross Compliance 2020 in Wales https://gov.wales/cross-compliance-2020 Countryside Stewardship & Environmental Stewardship claimants will be offered bridging payments for the 2019 claim year. Full details HERE • The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has confirmed today that farmers and land managers will be offered bridging payments for unpaid claims on their stewardship agreements. The interest-free loans will cover Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship 2019 payments to ensure farmers and land managers are paid for the important work they do to protect the environment. • Eligible claimants will receive a payment in May for 75% of the current estimated value of their claims to help with farm business cash flow while the remaining processing is completed on their claims. • The RPA will be writing directly to farmers and land managers to provide an update on bridging payments and on how these payments will be calculated. Red Tractor Remote Farm Audits Red Tractor is rolling out live streamed farm audits to enable new applicants to be assessed and current members to retain their status throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Under the new remote assessment programme, farms due their assurance assessment, or new applicants, can either opt for • An offline pre-assessment, followed by a live stream partial assessment using video calling or online meeting software such as WhatsApp, Blue Jeans, Zoom. • Alternatively, members can opt to have the entire assessment, with all document reviews and inspections taking place, via a video call with an assessor. Full details/guidance on this and other Red Tractor schemes are on the Red Tractor COVID-19 Hub Defra have launched - Pick For Britain • Fruit and Vegetable growers can register their vacancies on the central online recruitment hub, for this year’s harvest. • Are you Looking to work on a UK Fruit & Veg farm? From pickers and packers, to plant husbandry and tractor or forklift drivers, there are a wide range of roles available. • Pick For Britain helps bring workers and employers together and ensures the UK can continue to deliver the best quality British fruit & veg for everyone to enjoy. Here, you will find growers, recruiters, and agencies that have job opportunities across the country. Seasonal Work on Farms – Guidance for Workers The type of seasonal work you can do on farms; Who can apply; Where you can find work; Keeping safe (Coronavirus) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/seasonal-work-on-farms-guidance-for-workers Do you have non-English speaking agricultural employees? Posters produced by Herefordshire Council and NHS Clinical Commissioning Group are available for you to download and reproduce, giving advice for your employees on social distancing, and how to stop the spread of Coronavirus. The posters are in English, Bulgarian, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, & Slovak languages. They can be downloaded from the Herefordshire Rural Hub website at Social Distancing Posters. Best Practice Guidance on Social distancing for seasonal workers The AHDB have recently published best practice guidance on social distancing for seasonal workers. This document was written in conjunction with Public Health England and is available from the AHDB website Countryside Stewardship Schemes Application windows & deadlines for agreements starting in 2021 for Higher Tier; Mid-Tier; Hedgerows and Boundaries; Wildlife Offers (Arable / Lowland Grazing / Mixed Farming / Uplands) For further information and guidance on all the schemes go to https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/countryside-stewardship-get-paid-for-environmental-land-management Deadline for requesting application packs: Deadline for submitting your application for a 31 May 2020 – Mid Tier and Wildlife Offers (paper) 2021 agreement: 30 June 2020– Mid Tier (online) Online applicants for wildlife 1 May 2020 – Higher Tier offers do not need to request an application pack. 1 May 2020 – Hedgerows and Boundaries Grant 31 July 2020 – Mid Tier / Wildlife Offers Advice & Support Available Across Herefordshire from the Wye & Usk Foundation We are still working to support farmers during these strange times – if you need any advice please contact one of our Catchment Advisers as usual. Natural Flood Management Grants: There is still grant available to support delivery of action that helps increase water retention in the landscape - so far this has funded grassland aeration, subsoiling, cover cropping, attenuation ponds, hedge planting and leaky dams. The target catchments are the Dulas, Bodenham, Pentaloe, Tedstone, Cheaton, Ridgemore, Yazor and Red/Twyford Brook. If you farm in one of the target catchments and would like to find out more please call one of our advisers or visit: https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/info/200196/roads/345/flooding/6 Water Quality: The levels of phosphate in the rivers and streams is still higher than it should be and we are working hard to support local farmers to reduce losses from agricultural sources – which still contributes 50% of the P in our rivers. We are able to provide free confidential farm advice for any yard or land management challenges you may be facing. We can provide soil structure assessments, OM testing, yard advice, stewardship advice… the list goes on! Stewardship Schemes: We still have capacity to assist with composing an outline of scheme for your farm if you’re interested in understanding what could be delivered through Stewardship – but our team need to know as soon as possible if you’d like us to help! For more information or to request a visit please contact one of the WUF advisers: Lucinda Lewis (07824 904 877); Mike Williams (07920 441 215); Tom Jolley (07545 253 155); Jonny Pugh (07825 743 447) Abi Croshaw (07990 068941); Claire Spicer (07741 856770) Support Available from Severn Trent in the Wye Catchment Severn Trent Water are working with the Wye & Usk Foundation to fund advice and grant schemes in the Wye on an annual basis. It is restricted to the Drinking Water Safe Guarding Zone which follows the main rivers so if you farm on the main stem of the Wye, Lugg or Frome and would like to improve a pesticide handling area or disposal options like biobeds or biofilters there may be funding available to support this. Contact one of the advisers below to check whether you are in the eligible area. STEPS is a competitive scheme and the application window reopens in November.