Partner Article

North East farmers get more support

Hundreds of farms and businesses in the North East countryside are to be given the chance to tap into multi-million pound support to diversify their business interests in an extension of a hugely popular scheme.

One North East has approved a further £1.5m to be delivered by the North East England Investment Centre (NEEIC).

This follows previous funding of over £3.5m under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) which has resulted in almost 2,000 businesses being supported so far with the expectation the investment could create up to 1,000 jobs.

The latest funding is targeted particularly at farms, to encourage them to diversify their business interests and improve their energy efficiency but other businesses in the more rural parts of the region will also continue to benefit.

The funding is expected to support 210 farms and 90 micro-businesses, create approximately 160 jobs and safeguard 145 jobs.

Alan Clarke, One North East Chief Executive, said: “This additional funding will allow this hugely successful project to continue providing vital support at a time of difficult economic conditions for many rural micro-businesses.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .