This week Defra announced the launch of the Farming Investment Fund which includes the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund which is similar to the previous Countryside Productivity Small Grant Scheme. There have been a number of changes to the grant from the previous round with the minimum grant reduced from £3K to £2K. It also includes Forestry items.

Application window is November 16^th 2021 to 7^th January 2022.

More details of the changes are set out below with links to the website Farming Equipment and Technology Fund: Round 1 manual - Guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

The Farming Investment Fund (FIF) provides grants to improve productivity and bring environmental benefits. FIF is made up of 2 separate funds:

• Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (for grants between £2,000 and £25,000)
• Farming Transformation Fund (for grants between £35,000 and £500,000)

The Round 1 application period opens on 16 November 2021 and will close on 7 January 2022.

• Read the FETF Round 1 manual for full details about who is eligible and what you can get funding for before you apply.
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The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund is the relevant grant for farmers on Dartmoor with the Farming Transformation Fund in this round targeting water management equipment linked to arable farms such as reservoirs and irrigation. It will fund a wider range of equipment to support businesses so that they can invest in equipment and technology to improve sustainable agricultural, horticultural and forestry productivity. It includes Forestry as well as Farming items such as livestock monitoring cameras, mobile sheep dips, electric fencing packages for mob grazing, mobile handling systems, digital weather station, tree shears and smaller self propelled forwarders

Changes made to the former Countryside Productivity Small Grants Scheme are set out below as summarised by Defra on their latest Farming Blog The Farming Investment Fund launches today  - Future Farming (blog.gov.uk).

 

Increasing the number of items on the list from 85 to 120 

We’ve made this change to better reflect the needs of all agricultural sectors including horticulture and forestry. We will keep this list under review and will continue to add and remove items as the fund evolves between rounds. 

 

Reducing the minimum to £2,000 

• Small farmers found the minimum grant at £3,000 in the Countryside Productivity Small Grant (CPSG) was too high, so we’ve reduced the minimum to £2,000.

 

Increasing the maximum grant to £25,000 

• Increasing this figure allows us to add higher value items, but also larger variants of existing items, for example a wider range of direct drill sizes. 

 

Adding contractors 

• We added contractors to the list of eligible applicants on the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (including those serving livestock, dairy, arable and horticultural sectors). 
• This reflects the many different methods employed in modern farming businesses and we hope this will allow equipment purchased through the fund to benefit more farmers.

 

Changing the ‘all or nothing’ rule 

• We changed the rules to allow applicants to remove items in certain cases. This could be where items can be bought as a package rather than separately, or where they have selected the wrong item or where manufacturers are unable to deliver all the items within the claim deadline. 
• In these situations, we will look at requests to remove items on a case-by-case basis, subject to the grant requested still being above the minimum grant (£2,000).

 

Animal Health and Welfare 

• As part of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, we will be launching a new expanded grant offer late next year to co-fund investment in equipment, technology and infrastructure that will improve animal health and welfare.
• We will soon launch an online suggestions box to give farmers, vets, academics and other industry stakeholders the opportunity to suggest which capital items are included. While we finalise the full offer, we will continue to fund items from Countryside Productivity Small Grant that improve animal health and welfare through Farming Equipment and Technology Fund.

 

Slurry management 

• We have also provided farmers with an important initial offer to upgrade their slurry management systems through an expanded slurry equipment offer. 
• Offering strong environmental benefits, we will build on this through the offer of grants for additional infrastructure and equipment as part of future rounds of the fund. 
• We believe these changes maintain the integrity of the scheme while addressing the key concerns raised by farmers and stakeholders.
• We are still keen to hear from farmers as we continue to develop and evolve the fund through future rounds. 

Applications are made online via the ‘FETF Application Portal’ which can be accessed from the Farming Equipment & Technology Fund page on GOV.UK. Applications can be made between 16 November 2021 to midday 7 January 2022. Applications will not be accepted once the portal has closed. There is a YouTube video which demonstrates how to complete the online application on GOV.UK. The earlier you submit your application, the more time you will have to address any errors and submit a new application.

The grants are for a minimum of £2,000 and a maximum of £25,000 for Items listed in Annex 3. The cost listed for each Item is the actual grant amount we will pay. So regardless of how much you pay you will receive the grant amount listed for that Item, whether it is less or more than you paid.

It is your responsibility to fund the remaining cost of an Item. You must have sufficient funds to pay for all Items in full, before claiming your grant payment, as this is paid in arrears.

For example, if you buy an Item costing £1,000 and the grant amount indicated at Annex 3 for that Item is £400, you need to pay the remaining £600 yourself. You can’t fund this remaining amount with other UK public funds such as other grants, or via lease or hire purchase.

 

Farming Equipment and Technology Fund: Round 1 manual - Guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)