The first grants have opened up under the new Rural Development Programme for England. The Water and Woodland Capital Grants make up the first phase of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Set to be rolled out in full later in the summer, Countryside Stewardship will commit around £900m to benefitting the environment over the next six years. This will help farmers and land managers develop environmentally friendly techniques and adopt initiatives such as restoring hedges and improving water quality.  Farmers will soon be able to apply for new grants to help them protect the environment and reduce water pollution. Environment Minister, Dan Rogerson, announced today that Natural England will be accepting applications for Water Capital Grants from 2 March. Further information about how to apply was covered in a Natural England news story on 27 February 2015.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/14-million-now-available-to-farmers-for-water-and-woodlands