PAS hosted two sessions for Defra, Natural England and the Environment Agency to provide an overview of the Slurry Infrastructure Grant for a local authority audience.
Defra introduced the Slurry Improvement Grant (SIG) scheme to help farms invest in high quality slurry systems that exceed current regulations to reduce water and air pollution. It forms part of co-ordinated action taken by the government to reduce the environmental impact of farming on Habitats Sites while supporting domestic food production.
This 30 minute video covers the purpose of the grant scheme, how it works and what local planning authorities will need to consider. Importantly we hear that planning permission is often required to deliver improvements under the SIG. This can be a challenge because this type of development might be unusual (planners don't understand slurry, and/or organisaitional memory is poor). Crucuially LPAs need to gather together the checklist of information to get the applications dealt with properly - and key to this is helping Natural England understand whether or not the development should be considered under the ambit of the SIG.
The scheme is likely to develop further - you can keep up to date by checking the Defra website or get in touch with them.