Trudy has welcomed the news that farming projects in the constituency have received grants totalling more than £117,000.
The three-year Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, offered by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), provides funding for farmers and other land managers to work in partnership with National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty bodies to deliver projects for climate, nature, people and place.
Copeland projects to have received funding in this first year, working in conjunction with the Lake District National Park, are:
- West Lakes Farmer Led Nature Recovery CIC (Seascale) - £47,500 for development of the Community Interest Company and farmer engagement
- Monk Foss Farm (Millom) - £25,180 for carbon and emission reductions through enhanced slurry management
- West Cumbria Rivers Trust Ltd (Keswick) - £20,827 for developing a pipeline of conservation works to benefit nature recovery, water quality, flood/drought resilience and carbon storage
- Church Stile Farm (Nether Wasdale) - £19,080 for creation and production of a local food label to champion local products, plus packing and storage
- Home Farm (Muncaster) - £2,500 for completion of a farm carbon audit, report and carbon management plan
The total awarded to projects in the Lake District National Park this year is £585,800 of a total £1.5 million committed by Defra before the end of the programme in March 2024.
Trudy said: “This excellent project recognises that the Lake District and all our protected landscapes are unique and need to be protected while also supporting the farmers and communities who live and work within them.
“It is welcome news that so many projects in Copeland have received funding so far, and I encourage farmers and farming organisations to investigate the programme and see what you may be eligible for in years two and three.”
Applications can be made at any time during the programme and grant funding decisions are made on a monthly basis.
For more information – including case studies on successful projects - and to make an application, visit https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/caringfor/farming/farming-in-protected-landscapes
