South West livestock industry to get £7.5 million animal health
boost
20 May 2010
The livestock industry in the South West is to benefit from a
£7.5 million ground-breaking support package to help it improve the
productivity and welfare of farmed animals.
The South West Healthy Livestock Initiative (SWHLI) is a group
of nine projects aimed at helping farmers improve their profits
while increasing the health and welfare of their stock.
Announced today, the investment is being funded by the Rural
Development Programme for England (RDPE). It aims to increase the
knowledge and skills of farmers in subjects such as genetics,
nutrition, fertility, the environment and control & treatment
of diseases.
The innovative programme involves farmers working with vets and
other commissioning bodies, such as the Cornwall Development
Company, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and the National Animal
Disease Information Service. Training, which will cover ruminants,
pigs and poultry, will be delivered on farms rather than in the
classroom. In all, more than 14, 000 training days will be
delivered, some to small groups of farmers and others to larger
numbers. Some will be based geographically and others on specific
topics.
One of the projects will focus on TB. The South West Bovine
Tuberculosis Farm Advisory Project will be hosted by the NFU. It
will set up an advisory service with three specialist advisors to
help farmers – either individually or in groups – to share and
discuss information about how they can minimise the risks of TB and
the damaging effects for their business.
Another project, the Small Pig Heard Health and Welfare
Seminars, will help people with smaller enterprises by helping them
with advice and practical help to develop their businesses.
The announcement of this new funding follows detailed planning
over many months, with the SW RDA working with an independent
cross-organisational group of national, regional and local
representatives from farming and livestock sectors. This means the
package of support has been specifically designed by industry
experts to meet the needs of the sector. The group was chaired by
agricultural consultant and poultry farmer Richard Stanbury, who
commented:
“SWHLI is a perfect example of where the RDPE is working with
the livestock industry to help it to help itself in tackling the
economic costs of animal disease and the resulting welfare
issues.”
“The skills and training farmers develop through SWHLI will have
a long-term positive impact on the livestock industry as they will
be useful now and in the future.
“The preparatory work to get such an innovative and exciting
programme under way means we have been able to use the feedback and
views of the industry and include it into the package now to be
available and it’s great news for the South West.”
Ends
For further information about SWHLI, please contact Andy
Rumming, RDPE Manager, on 01392 229160. To arrange an interview,
filming or photo opportunity about SWHLI, please contact Hilary
Allison at the South West RDA press office on 07901 994103.
Notes to editors
RDPE
The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) runs from
2007 to 2013. It is the 2nd pillar of the Common Agricultural
Policy and aims to support the creation of genuinely sustainable
farming, forestry and food sectors, whilst also bringing wider
benefits for the economy, the environment and rural communities. It
provides the major financial vehicle for protecting and enhancing
the environment and securing a range of public benefits for
society. Defra is the Managing Authority.
The RDPE has three priorities for rural development:
1. Improving competitiveness of the agriculture and forestry
sectors
2. Improving the environment and the countryside
3. Improving the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging
diversification of economic activity
In this region, the South West RDA will deliver priorities 1and
3 with a budget of £156.8 million over the seven years. The RDA is
also responsible for ensuring that five per cent of the RDPE
funding is spent on enabling community involvement in rural
development. The delivery partners in the South West aim to ensure
that investment in each of the three priorities will help support
investment in the others.
The RDPE priority for improving the environment and the
countryside is being delivered nationally by the Forestry
Commission’s Woodland Grant Scheme and Natural England’s
Environmental Stewardship Scheme. In addition, a minimum of 5% of
the programme will be delivered through a local community-led
approach.
The aims, objectives and priorities for delivering RDPE in South
West England were agreed for the socio-economic investments with
regional partners and these are set out in the Regional
Implementation Plan. On the basis of a thorough analysis of South
West England’s rural characteristics and economy, the Plan sets out
eight themes:
i. Skills development
ii. Social enterprise
iii. Business support
iv. Supply chain and adding value
v. Resource management (soil, water, energy, waste)
vi. Sustainable rural tourism
vii. Biodiversity and landscape
viii. Community-led development
Organisations involved in delivering RDPE
The South West RDA leads the development of a
sustainable economy, investing to unlock the region's business
potential. It works in partnership with public, private and social
purpose organisations to drive up the region's productivity by
giving people the skills they need, encouraging enterprise,
improving infrastructure, regenerating places and promoting the
strengths of the region. For more information see www.southwestrda.org.uk
Natural England works for people, places and
nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and
wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. It conserves
and enhances the natural environment for its intrinsic value, the
wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and the economic prosperity it
brings. For more information see www.naturalengland.org.uk Environmental
Stewardship (ES) was launched in 2005, builds on the very best
practice already evident in British farming. During the period
2007-13 the national budget for ES will be £2.9 billion. The
objectives of ES are to:
- Conserve wildlife (biodiversity).
- Maintain and enhance landscape quality and character.
- Protect the historic environment and natural resources.
- Promote public access and understanding of the
countryside.
- Natural resource protection.
The Forestry Commission is the government
department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. It supports
woodland owners with grants, tree felling licences, regulation and
advice; promotes the benefits of forests and forestry; and advises
Government on forestry policy. For further information, visit
www.forestry.gov.uk/southwestengland.