Severn Trent has increased its Environmental Protection Scheme funding offer to £30,000 for farm improvements that address water quality issues.
The water company said it had increased the scheme's funding as the cost of materials and labour continue to increase.
The 2022 scheme offering provides additional financial support to producers that want to enhance productivity while improving water quality.
The funding is available to farmers in Severn Trent priority catchments and aims to address issues such as nitrates, pesticides and cryptosporidium reaching watercourses.
In catchments where pesticide reduction is a priority, farmers can apply for up to £30,000 for washdown and disposal areas, and there’s also up to 75% funding for watercourse fencing.
Dr Alex Cooke, principal catchment management scientist at Severn Trent, said that the company had listened to its farmers and increased funding on priority items.
“There’s no doubt that it’s a challenging time for farmers, with uncertainty around ELM schemes and the future of subsidy payments, as well as significant hikes in input costs, putting margins under pressure.
“We’ve taken all this into consideration and doubled the previous maximum match funding offer from £5,000 up to £10,000 for all items.
"Depending on the priority issue in your catchment, a range of items are available from cover crops and pesticide washdown bays, to livestock fencing and covered handling areas."
To find out more about the STEPS grant, farmers can contact their local Severn Trent agricultural adviser or visit the water company's website.
