Defra's £10m Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme (FFIS) opens on 4th Feb 2014

Defra have just announced their 3rd round of the Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme.  This grant scheme allows applicants to apply for amounts of £2,500 - £35,000. 

The application window is 4^th Feb – 4^th April 2014.

Only items listed in the Applicant Handbook are eligible for funding and grant rates vary between 15% and 50% depending on the item and applicant location. There are 5 themes in FFIS:-

·        Nutrient management;

·        Energy efficiency;

·        Water management;

·        Animal health and welfare; and

·        Forestry

The selection process for FFIS is competitive. This means that there is no guarantee of success and not all projects which are eligible will be awarded grant, or at the amount of grant requested.

For more information and to obtain a handbook and application form go to:

http://rdpenetwork.defra.gov.uk/funding-sources/farm-and-forestry-improvement-scheme

Drinking Water abstraction halted due to very high pesticide levels in the River Leam 

What is the problem?

Severn Trent Water has stopped abstracting water from the River Leam into Draycote Reservoir due to continued high levels of Quinmerac herbicide.  

This is a huge problem and has resulted in water being pumped extremely long distances in order to supply clean drinking water. This is both expensive and non-sustainable.

Water quality samples taken during October revealed quinmerac concentrations at 12 x drinking water standard in the River Leam.  Recent sampling on the River Leam at Eathorpe and Leamington Spa has revealed concentrations of 0.094ug/l and 0.138 µg/l respectively; which are still too high.  

What products contain Metazchlor & Quinmerac mixtures?

Novall                         Shadow

Katamaran                  Naspar         

Turbo

Take Action

1.   DON’T TAKE THE RISK! These products should not be applied when field drains are flowing or likely to flow within 48 hours of application.

2.   Prevent further restrictions coming into force or the activation of a pesticide tax by applying pesticides responsibly. 

3.   Keep yourself up to date with training and best practise by visiting the Farmers Weekly Academy http://academy.fwi.co.uk/Home

Unless extreme care is taken to protect water from Quinmerac there is a serious risk that its use will be restricted. 

·      If you or your farm staff needs pesticide training then please get in touch as we can offer a 50% discount for those farming/ contracting in the Leam catchment.

·     If you are working on Grandfather Rights then remember you will have to receive a certificate of competence to buy or apply pesticides after November 2015. You can receive 50% off training through the Leam Catchment Partnership.

·         If you have any queries regarding this email or would like advice relating to your farm please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Melissa Hoskings

Catchment Officer

07584 569429

melissa@severnriverstrust.com 

Green Light for Bioreactor Installation at a Local Farm

A bioreactor is a fairly simple structure with the centre of the structure comprised of woodchip. The structure is installed underground at the end of a field drain and connected with diversion and overflow structures to control the flow of water through the system.

One of these bioreactors is being installed at a local farm near Southam to monitor how effective it is at removing nitrate from field drains in the local area. Research undertaken by local field drainage consultant Rob Burtonshaw and fellows in America has shown that these structures can remove over 95% of nitrate from field drains (Granger & Buckley, 2007).

If this pioneering work is successful it could help farmers and land managers reduce the volume of nitrate and phosphate lost from farmland, reducing the cost of water treatment, and helping to limit further restrictions on fertiliser use and constraints laid out within NVZ’s.

Keep following our blog to find out how well this new project works....

Invertebrate Monitoring on the River Itchen & River Leam

River invertebrates provide a good indication of the water quality of our rivers and are susceptible to sedimentation, pollution incidents, and variations in flow. Working with a number of farmers in the Leam catchment we have monitored river invertebrates in areas which have been prone to cattle poaching the banks.  

A number of these landowners have agreed to fencing off the river from livestock in order to reduce sedimentation and keep their valuable topsoil where it should be! Once the fencing is complete we shall return and do some more river invertebrate monitoring to see if there are any improvements in the number and diversity of invertebrates found.

We'll keep you posted!

FREE TREE PLANTING FOR RIVERBANK AREAS

Tree planting and livestock fencing helps reduce poaching of the banks and provides good habitat for wildlife

If you have narrow areas along a riverbank you would like planting to help avoid sheep and cattle accessing the river, poaching the banks and losing your valuable top soil then please get in touch. The Severn Rivers Trust have funding courtesy of the Woodland Trust for planting trees near to rivers in the Leam Catchment.  

Trees provide a fantastic way of keeping topsoil where it should be, they provide shelter for livestock during the summer and during heavy rainfall and they help keep rivers cool, thus providing a valuable habitat for aquatic invertebrates and fish; not to mention the habitat benefits for terrestrial wildlife!!

For More information please contact your local Catchment Officer Melissa on 07584 569429 or email her Melissa@severnriverstrust.com

http://severnriverstrust.com/

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk