A review of the RDPE year 2009

This round-up of the main activities and progress (as at 31 December 2009) is presented under the eight themes for investing RDPE funds set out in the South West Regional Implementation Plan. With four years - or two-thirds - of the Programme still to run, interest in RDPE support and funding is now on a steadily increasing trajectory.

RDPE themes managed by the South West RDA

Skills development

Skills are at the core of developing a long-term rural land-based economy and for sustainable social enterprises. RDPE funding investments in skills are targeted to improve the economic performance and competitiveness of land-based industries and to improve rural social enterprises.

Vocational Training Scheme

The current Vocational Training Scheme ends in the early summer of 2010 and will have helped more than 6,000 individuals from farms and rural businesses by the time it ends.

The Skills Development theme is in the process of extending its approach from being mostly demand-led (i.e. practical training requested by the sector) to include a more forward-looking strategic approach. In 2009 the Regional Skills Partnership was commissioned to identify the skills priorities relevant to this region and during the spring of 2009, both the industry and the training providers, were consulted about skills provision priorities that would enable land-based and rural businesses to become more competitive. Following publication of those priorities, applications were invited from organisations to provide the relevant services with a view to the new services coming into operation in the summer of 2010.

South West Healthy Livestock Initiative

An independent, expert panel under the chairmanship of Devon farmer Richard Stanbury, was set up to advise on proposals relating specifically to healthy livestock, and a series of consultation events were held in the spring of 2009. Alongside this a significant piece of market research was also undertaken. This information formed the basis of a report identifying the needs of individual sectors. Organisations were subsequently invited to submit proposals for providing the relevant services and these are currently being appraised, with the expectation that the new services will be rolled out in the spring.

Community and social enterprise

This theme aims to strengthen the provision of basic services and build greater economic opportunity in rural areas by encouraging the development of sustainable rural community and social enterprises.

Under this theme, new and existing rural community and social enterprises can get comprehensive business support and apply for small grants to develop infrastructure and services. Support became fully available during 2009 and the first two grant applications from community and social enterprises have been approved. This theme complements the work being done by the Local Action Groups.

An additional £700,000 for the South West of England from the European Economic Recovery Programme has been earmarked to support rural community broadband development. It will be implemented through a small number of pilot or demonstration projects focussing on delivering above-minimum speeds in existing “not-spots”.

Business support

This investment theme focuses on improving the economic performance and competitiveness of land-based industries and rural businesses using the Solutions for Business service to help businesses collaborate, access knowledge that will help their business grow, and support innovation and best practice. This theme will also provide grants and support to help farm businesses to diversify.

Sixty business-led projects - from across all RDPE themes - with a total value of £9.5 million were offered funding during the year.

Since June 2009, when all the business support services came together at the end of the development phase, more than 2,000 businesses have received targeted help

SW Rural Enterprise Gateway (REG)

The Business Link delivered SW REG provided information on RDPE, helped businesses to draw up actions plans for growth or diversification and one-to-one professional consultancy. In response the recession, the South West RDA provided extra funding to REG so that it could increase the level of specialist support available to businesses from two days to five days.

Project Development Officers

The network of county-based project development advisers became fully operational early in 2009. Each county has at least one adviser to help people who are applying for RDPE grants to work-up sound proposals.

Uplands Development Officers

Advisers have also been appointed in each of the Upland areas of the region (Exmoor, Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor) where they work with livestock farmers to help them make the best use of RDPE funding opportunities.

Sustainable Woodlands SW

The Silvanus Trust is delivering this programme and the appointment of a second woodlands adviser brought the team up to full strength. The advisers provide advice and training to businesses for bringing woodland into management and for processing timber.

Resource management (soil, water, energy, waste)

The final parts of the South West Agricultural Resource Management Initiative (SWARM) became fully operational during the year. Since the Resource Efficiency for farms and Soils for Profit parts of the initiative got underway in the summer, more than 400 enquiries have been received and more than 200 farm visits completed, with the remaining scheduled for early in 2010. The first applications for small capital grants under the scheme have been approved.
An additional £700,000 from the European Economic Recovery Programme has been allocated to the South West for supporting the dairy sector, which has enabled the maximum SWARM capital grant to this sector to be increased from the normal £10,000 to £20,000.

Supply chain and adding value

The main aim of this theme is to improve the economic performance and competitiveness of the region’s agricultural and forestry sectors. This can be done in a variety of ways, for instance, by supporting businesses that collaborate to improve supply chain efficiency; adding value to primary agricultural and forestry products (e.g. processing and marketing); encouraging sustainable sourcing of primary products in the region; and supporting renewable energy projects.

A diverse range of businesses has taken advantage of funding and support that will enable them to develop their supply chains or add value to existing business by developing new products and processing facilities. Although most of the businesses have been located in rural areas, others have been in town settings but have drawn their raw materials directly from agriculture or forestry producers.

They range from expanding cereal drying and storage facilities to a new business developing a niche idea for local crops, and from abattoir projects to growers starting to process their own crops - and those of neighbouring farmers.

Sustainable rural tourism

Investment is designed to improve the long-term profitability of the South West’s rural tourism businesses and ensure optimum benefit to rural communities. This will be achieved by investing to develop, support and promote enjoyment of the region’s rural environment and heritage.

In the early part of 2009, six key regional projects were chosen to develop and widen the impact rural areas can have on the Tourism industry.

The lead applicants have since been working hard developing a range of exciting and innovative projects all of which will want to engage rural businesses. Four of the six have received approval totalling £10,300,000 and will shortly be fully operational.

These are 1SW (creating and joining up the regions rural cycling hubs), Enjoy Water (creating and joining up inland water sport centres), Discover the Extraordinary (making the most of the regions world class mining heritage), and TRAC, (improving access to the mining heritage and rural environment from the multi use trails in North and East Cornwall).

The remaining two projects have submitted applications. More information is available at the sustainable rural tourism section.

Community-led development

Investment supports 15 large community groups which have development strategies focusing on improving the quality of life in rural areas and diversifying the SW rural economy.

During the year Local Action Groups approved 99 individual projects with an RDPE investment of just under £3.5m. More information at the local action section.

RDPE themes delivered by the Forestry Commission and Natural England

Biodiversity and landscape

This theme focuses on maintaining, enhancing and promoting the character of the countryside, its local distinctiveness, its historic and cultural landscapes and features, and concentrations of priority habitats and species. These areas are the responsibility of Natural England and the Forestry Commission.

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF)

In an associate project to RDPE, 582 farmers have received advice relating to 52,000 hectares. The associated capital grant scheme spend has been £3 million out of £5 million nationally. SCF Strategic Partnerships have been set up at Blue Anchor Bay in Somerset and the Taw Torridge Catchment. CSF is integrating its work with HLS and ELS promotion and with Soils for Profit and the Environment Agency’s NVZ advice programme. Funding secured from DEFRA for another year.

Environmental Stewardship

Interest in uptake has been strong relative to other parts of the country leading to expectations that targets will be met for Utilisable Agricultural Area (UAA) coverage, PSA on SSSI and Farmland Birds and Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), and educational access. More than 750 HLS agreements have been concluded (covering 61,000 hectares) and more than 9000 ELS agreements (covering just over 1.1million hectares) - 15% and 20% respectively of the national uptake. Transfer of expiring ‘classics’ (ESA & CSS) to ES stands at 80%, meeting the national target.

Energy Crop Scheme

Eighteen applications have been received for the 2010 planting period covering almost 325 hectares.

English Woodland Grant scheme

2009 has been a successful year, with over 10,000ha of woodland receiving investment of £5m under Axis 2 of the RDPE. Several changes were made to the EWGS, enhancing rates of grant and relaxing some eligibility criteria. This has increased engagement with woodland owners. In summary these were:

Introducing an 80% Rhododendron removal Woodland Improvement Grant to Cornwall and parts of Devon.
Extending the 80% Biodiversity Woodland Improvement Grant to cover all ancient woodlands in the region.
Raising the threshold above which owners need UKWAS certification to access Woodland Management Grant from 30 to 100 hectares.
Increasing the rate of grant for Woodland Planning.
Extending the Woodland Creation habitat network supplement to our fifth Ancient Woodland Priority Area, Cranborne
Allowing Single Payment Scheme to remain on land also receiving Woodland Creation and Farm Woodland Payments.

The table below sets out the details of applications received in 2009:

Grant type	Number of applications	£000 value	Hectares
Creation Grant	155	897	401
Planning/Assessment	59	84	3358
Regeneration Grant	109	501	536
Management Grant	45	96	3200
Improvement Grant - Biodiversity	143	2642	1449
Improvement Grant - SSSI	18	396	260
Improvement Grant - Public access	11	173	620
Improvement Grant - Rhodo removal	15	253	189
Total	555	5042	10013

Notes: these figures represent applications received from 01 January 2009 to 31 December 2009. Claim year(s) for these applications covers the span 09/10 to 14/15. Woodland Management Grant figures record the first year payment - the total value of the agreement would be x 5 years. All other grant types show the full value of the EWGS grants.

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