Coming out of a busy summer recess, September started with the welcome news that £1,443,739 has been awarded to the Great North Bog conservation project, which covers peatland throughout Skipton and Ripon. A letter from Trudy Harrison, Minister for Natural Environment and Land Use, confirmed the grant as part of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs’ Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, Round 3.
Peatlands are crucial habitats that both reduce carbon emissions and provide a long-term carbon store, all while boosting biodiversity and improving water quality. The Nature for Climate Fund has awarded over £33 million over the first two rounds, to restore 20,000 hectares of peatlands. This third round has awarded over £16 million to twelve projects, including the Great North Bog, which will see an additional 1,127 hectares of degraded blanket bog across Yorkshire and the North Pennines restored.
Further good news from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs came when the Farming Minister announced that farmers in Skipton and Ripon have been awarded £566,251 in the first round of the Animal Health and Welfare Equipment and Technology fund. In total, £19 million has been awarded to over 3,300 pig, poultry, sheep and cattle farmers, with grants ranging from £1,000 to £25,000. These support investment in items ranging from livestock handling equipment to reduce lameness in sheep and cattle, to automated monitoring systems which free-up farmers’ time and limit environmental stress in poultry housing.
One particularly memorable visit came shortly afterwards, when Julian met the general manager of Fountains Abbey, Justin Scully, to find out more about the National Trust’s plans to renovate and conserve the World Heritage Site. The project, labelled Studley Revealed, will improve visitor facilities and restore the historic water gardens. Julian remarked at the time that “to have a World Heritage Site on our doorstep is a privilege, but with that comes the responsibility to preserve it for future generations. I’m grateful to Justin and everyone at the National Trust for their hard-work and dedication to this project.”
Back in Westminster, Julian welcomed student leaders from Upper Wharfedale School as part of their trip to London, which included tours of the Houses of Parliament and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Following a tour of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, Julian sat down with students to talk about his role as their local MP and answer some questions. These ranged from what an MP does day-to-day and Julian’s views on recent Prime Ministers, to local issues and what Julian’s priorities are in Skipton and Ripon. It was also an opportunity for Julian to meet the new headteacher at Upper Wharfedale, Ian Chapman, who took over at the start of this academic year.
To round the month off, Julian was pleased to announce that the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023 scheme, which pays farmers in England to take actions that support food production, farm profitability and resilience, whilst protecting and enhancing the environment, is now open for applications. This follows the news, announced a few weeks earlier, that farmers with a live 2023 agreement before the end of the year will receive an early payment – worth 25 per cent of the value of their agreement – in the first month of their agreement. The remaining payments will be made on three further occasions throughout the year, aiding cashflow and ensuring farmers have greater flexibility.
Thousands of farm businesses have already registered their interest with the Rural Payments Agency, and those with Sustainable Farming Incentive 2022 agreements are being encouraged to register for 2023 as well. Every farmer who applies and is eligible will get an agreement under the new Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023, with no upper limit on the number of agreements that the Government will issue this year. This initiative is the latest from the Government as it continues to meet its obligation to maintain the annual farming budget of £3.1 billion per year across the UK.
Alongside Julian’s engagements across Skipton and Ripon and meetings with ministerial colleagues, he has continued to hold surgeries regularly with constituents. If anyone would like to arrange a meeting, please email [email protected]
