The Integrated Natural Resources Scheme (INRS)

If you are using this scheme to provide awards of subsidy, you must inform the Subsidy Control Unit – email: scu@gov.wales.

Pan Wales

The Integrated Natural Resources Scheme (INRS)

The Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023 (‘the Agriculture Act’).

The Integrated Natural Resources Scheme (INRS) enable farmers, foresters, land managers and others to work together at a landscape, catchment, or pan Wales level to:

• produce food in a sustainable manner​
• mitigate and adapt to climate change​
• maintain and enhance the resilience of ecosystems and the benefits they provide, and​
• conserve and enhance the countryside and cultural resources and promote public access to and engagement with them, and to sustain the Welsh language and promote and facilitate its use

Funding support for farmers, land managers and associated rural sectors is delivered through a flexible framework of support under the Sustainable Land Management (SLM) Objectives set out in The Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023 (‘the Agriculture Act’). Projects will be expected to deliver a range of on farm actions including: ​

• tree planting and the establishment of active woodland management
• restoring and creating hedgerows
• invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) removal and eradication
• natural flood risk management (NFRM) interventions
• enhancing and creating wetland through re-wetting measures and supporting ponds, lakes, reed beds and fens
• enhancing and creating riparian habitat and in-river restoration
• enhancing upland and unenclosed habitat & peatland
• enhancing and creating lowland habitat
• enhancing and creating diverse grassland - increasing diversity within improved grassland and introducing multi species leys, restoring traditional hay meadows, creating wild bird, wildlife and pollinator strips and plots
• traditional boundary restoration, stone walls, earth banks and slate fences​
• improving access to the countryside through upgrading/enhancing public paths, open access land and green spaces​
• targeted measures to support the recovery and reintroduction of particular wildlife species, Environment (Wales) Act 2016 – Section 7 Lists of Habitats & Species of Principle Importance to Wales such as creating and establishing nesting and feeding habitat; including unavoidable predatory controls to support those species as part of the wider landscapes scale actions​
• targeted measures to improve water quality and soil health reducing agricultural pollution, minimising use of pesticides and herbicides through integrated pest and nutrient management​

Without the subsidy, much of the policy principle and scheme objective would not be fulfilled and habitats and wildlife would be lost.

Welsh Government

Farmers, foresters, land managers and associated rural sectors.

• Administrative and support service activities
• Agriculture, forestry and fishing
• Arts, entertainment and recreation
• Education

December 19, 2024 to March 31, 2028.

£10,000,000

All subsidy awarded under the scheme will be awarded by way of grants.

Applicants must demonstrate eligibility via a series of test questions within the application form to determine they are either farmers, foresters, land managers or associated rural sectors.

Welsh Government has a standard cost for an activity/item as part of current schemes, and if that activity is being delivered on individually owned or managed land; the INRS project will be offered those standard costs.

The INRS project delivery phase will be available for between £250,000 and £1,000,000.