Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme (FiPL) extended for a further 3 years
The Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme has been extended for a further 3 years, with £30 million in funding nationally confirmed for the next financial year.
Making the announcement at the Oxford Farming Conference, Emma Reynolds MP (Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) highlighted the achievements of FiPL in the last 4 years, supporting over 11,000 farmers across 44 protected landscapes – funding more than 5,500 projects and creating around 100 farm cluster groups
FiPL has supported a wide range of projects in the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape under the themes of Climate, Nature, People and Place. Richard Langton, who chairs the programme’s Local Assessment Panel (LAP) for the Lincolnshire Wolds, welcomed the announcement:
“The news that the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme has been extended for a further three years is very welcome and stands as testament to the positive impact that the programme has had in the Lincolnshire Wolds over the past five years. The projects supported by the programme have helped farmers and land managers enhance the Wolds’ environmental and economic vitality whilst also increasing access to and understanding of its rich landscape.
Moreover, the extension of the programme for three years will now enable famers and land managers to bring forward schemes that, by their nature, take more than 12 months to come to fruition. I would also like to thank the local programme team for the hard work and commitment that they have put into the successful delivery of over 90 projects spread throughout the Wolds over the past five years.”
The FiPL Programme has supported those projects with £1,255,000 of grant funding at rates ranging from 40% to 100% of the project costs. During 2024/25, FiPL also ran the Historic Building Restoration Grant which brought in further grant funding of £830,000 to help restore four groups of Lincolnshire Wolds farm buildings.
The programme still has funding this year for one-off projects which deliver against the 4 FiPL themes and which can be completed, and grant claimed, by the 23rd March 2026.
There has already been a substantial call on the grant programme, but up to £80,000 remains to be allocated for projects. Each application is capped at a maximum of £50,000 although multiple applications can be made where appropriate.
Application forms and associated documents can be found on the LWCS website, or contact Steve Scoffin (Lincolnshire Wolds NL FiPL Officer) by email (steve.scoffin@lincolnshire.gov.uk) or telephone 07585 204328
