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Lincolnshire farm secures its future with livestock grant

24/06/2009

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is pleased to announce the latest award of a Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) grant to a livestock project in Lincolnshire.

Thorpe Latimer Traditional Farm Meats shop and butchery in Thorpe Latimer near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, has been offered £45,000 to support the sale of home-reared meats.  Previously, beef and lamb that was produced on the farm was being sold from the farm house itself.  Now, the RDPE grant will enable a separate retail shop to be created, also providing new storage and butchery facilities.

Owners William and Anne Watts said: “The new facilities will vastly improve the quality of our produce and boost our business potential. We are also going to invest some of our funding in a website to help us market our produce more effectively and reach a wider customer base. We are grateful to emda for recognising our potential to create three new jobs and hope to secure our livelihood for the future.”

Commenting on the grant award, Andrew Morgan, emda’s Skills and Communities Director, said:  “It is important that we invest in rural livestock farms like Thorpe Latimer through RDPE to encourage more farmers to broaden their business base and boost performance.  This will enable the region’s agricultural sector to develop and adapt to changing economic circumstances, ensuring a sustainable future and a flourishing region.”

RDPE is jointly funded by the European Union (EU) and Defra.  emda has approximately £60m available for projects in the region until 2013.  The purpose of RDPE grants is to stimulate the rural economy of the East Midlands and provide more opportunities and an improved quality of life for rural people in the region. 

Visit www.emda.org.uk/rdpe to find out more, or to discuss similar project ideas contact the RDPE Team at rdpe@emd.org.uk or telephone 0115 947 1797.

ENDS

For further information on this press release or to request any interviews, please contact Clare Baker, Media and PR Manager, on 0115 988 8583 or email clarebaker@emd.org.uk .

About RDPE

Full details on the regional delivery of RDPE can be found at www.emda.org.uk/rdpe

About emda

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development.
Ten years on, independent evaluation shows emda has:
• Had a significant impact on the region’s economy
• Generated economic benefits that substantially outweigh its overall costs
• Put back over £9 of economic output (or GVA) into the regional economy for every £1 it spends
• Produced more than £1 billion in economic benefits per year
• A wider impact on people, places and businesses in the East Midlands that cannot be captured by figures alone.
emda is committed to supporting the region through the current downturn and has put in place a range of measures to provide real help during these challenging times. 

Over the long term, emda’s aim is to deliver the 2006 Regional Economic Strategy (RES) by working in partnership with public, private and voluntary organisations.  The RES highlights the themes of productivity, sustainability and equality and sets out key priorities until 2020 to ensure the vision for ‘a flourishing region’ can be achieved. 

For more details visit www.emda.org.uk