Funding available now for Exmoor farmers and land managers

Exmoor has a proud and unique farming heritage where many farmers are passionate about wildlife and sustainability. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs DEFRA is extending its funding for the (FiPL) ‘programme’ for another year. The scheme forms part of the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan, with additional funding for Exmoor related projects granted until March 2026.

A dedicated FiPL team within Exmoor National Park Authority administer this scheme, offering support and advice to applicants. Since July 2021 ENPA has delivered almost £2.4 million worth of support for FiPL projects, with 172 successful projects completed.

Vickie Sellick from the ENPA Farming in Protected Landscapes Team said:

‘We are inviting anyone who manages land and has a great project idea to get in contact now. Our FiPL officers are farmers themselves, we understand the unique challenges they face, but also the potential opportunities on Exmoor for land managers. We’re local advisors, here to help make applications more straightforward. We work with landowners and organisations like the Exmoor Hill Farming Network and Natural England, to facilitate projects, provide expert advice and ensure money is spent where it matters most.”

These are just some of the projects on Exmoor that have been awarded funding through the ‘Farming in Protected Landscapes’ programme.

Cattle and sheep farmer Mark Broadwith - Great Nurcott Farm

“Wood pasture provides a rich habitat for wildlife, but it’s expensive to establish. With the National Park’s support, FIPL funding helped me to make a flying start with a Cactus Guard trial. Wood pasture is a semi-permanent low maintenance solution for steep ground that is difficult or impossible to work, yields badly and suffers gorse and bracken encroachment. Cattle and sheep can take up to fifty percent of their daily intake as browse if it’s freely available. Tree and shrub leaves have high protein content, and a usefully different nutrient profile to that of grass. Willow is a rich source of tannin and acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) loved by livestock.”

Sweet chestnut pollards might yield useful fencing material within a generation. Other substantial benefits of wood pasture come through the autumn leaf drop which helps build soil organic matter content, improvements to soil hydration, and a substantial enhancement of ecosystem function.

Serena Colwill - Farm School Exmoor

“FIPL funding and the support from the Exmoor National Park has allowed us to work towards our mission to teach as many children and adults as possible the links between farming, conservation and food production, using our Exmoor farm as a classroom. The financial support has enabled us to invite more groups onto the farm as well as contribute to equipment and facilities to enhance the accessibility at Farm School Exmoor as well as the safety of our visitors. To date we are working with seventeen schools and eighteen different organisations, who are delighted with the equipment aimed towards the size and ability of the children, our accessible facilities and the fact that children get to experience farm life on a working farm.”

Darren Sherwood from The Exmoor Game School CIC

“We run a range of educational programmes, designed to break down the barriers between people and their food. Our butchery courses allow individuals to get hands-on with their food in a way that might sound daunting to some, but it’s an incredibly empowering process. Not only do participants learn practical skills, but it fosters a new level of respect for the animals they eat and a greater understanding of the natural cycles that sustain us.

Our free children’s sessions have benefited from FIPL funding support and the advice of the National Park and we’ve been overwhelmed with offers from local venues, many of which are farms, to host our sessions. This gives children the invaluable opportunity to visit working farms, learn about the link between game meat and farmed meat, and hear directly from farmers about their work.”

You can contact ENPA about applications by emailing conservation@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk

Get more information here