Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54446 on Environmental Land Management Schemes: Lancashire, what steps his Department plans to take to help ensure that the re-opening of capital grants in summer 2025 is (a) accessible and (b) equitable to (i) smaller farms and (ii) new entrants.

Defra will introduce maximum grant thresholds for 4 groups of capital items in the standalone capital offer, from summer 2025.

The limits will be:

• £25,000 for items in the water quality, air quality, and natural flood management groups
• £35,000 for the group including boundary, tree and orchard items

These limits increase funding availability for smaller applications. All farmers/land managers are able to apply for the funding later in the Summer of 2025, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria which will be set out in the guidance.