The RPA Podcast - Episode 8

Item 1:

·  Danielle Bragg, from the RPA Grants Service Team, runs us through all the grants available to farmers, under the Farming Investment Fund.

·  The Farming Investment Fund offers funding for equipment, technology, and infrastructure that improves farm productivity and benefits the environment.  This fund provides grants to farmers, foresters, and growers so that they can invest in the things they need to improve productivity and enhance the natural environment.  

·  The Farming Investment Fund is made up of 2 parts; for smaller grants, there is the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) while larger grants are covered by the Farming Transformation Fund. We discuss the different options available under these grants and provide guidance on how and when to apply. 

Item 2: 

·  In our second section, we speak with Jim Bubb, owner of Shropshire Petals Farm in Newport, about how the Improving Farm Productivity grant has made his business more efficient with the addition of droid robots and other ways in which this has benefitted his business. 

Item 3:

· In our last segment, we are joined by Rachael Dale, from RPA Geospatial Services, to discuss the launch of the new digital service, that allows you to edit your mapping information online.

· The recently launched Rural Land Changes service allows customers to notify RPA of mapping changes online, streamlining this process. This digital option for farmers, which will replace the RLE1 form, will reduce the length of time to action submissions from customers. The Rural Land Changes is more convenient, faster, and easier.

The RPA Podcast is an opportunity to engage with farmers and land managers in a new way, and we encourage you to reach out to us with suggestions of particular topics that you’d like us to cover with our subject experts. You can e-mail us at External.Affairs@rpa.gov.uk.

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