Act now to secure share of rural funding, urges CLA

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The CLA is urging farmers and rural business owners in the North to make sure they don’t miss out on a share of a new £138 million European funding pot.

The Association is encouraging its members to engage with local groups responsible for administering the Leader programme, which the Government has tasked with delivering the new rural funding on a local level.

CLA North Director of Policy & Public Affairs Douglas Chalmers said: “There are 17 Leader groups throughout Yorkshire, Cumbria, Lancashire and the North East, which need ideas and suggestions from local farmers and rural business owners as to how the money should be spent.

“Leader programmes have a tremendous track record for delivering projects at a local level and the Government has now made it clear that jobs and business growth must be the priorities for future funding.”

The Leader project is part of the Rural Development Programme for England and is a French acronym for: “Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l'Économie Rurale” which translates roughly as: “Links between activities developing the rural economy.”

Leader Local Action Groups (LAGs) are made up of representatives of a local community, including the farming and business sector, who decide which projects should be supported.

Mr Chalmers added: “Leader is basically a rural funding stream led and driven by those at grass roots in rural communities. We’re urging farmers, landowners and other rural businessmen to put themselves forward to ensure their interests are represented.

“This funding is a real opportunity to transform rural businesses, and as such help safeguard many of our remoter communities and the local environment”.

The European Union has already set out the priority areas for the next round of funding. These are: Micro & small enterprises; farm diversification; increasing farm productivity; rural tourism; forestry productivity; and provision of rural services and heritage.

Anyone who would like further information on their local Leader programme should contact the CLA North regional office on: 01748 907070 or email: north@cla.org.uk