Technology & Precision Farming
Move quick to benefit from
£60m productivity fund • Grants of up to 40% available
• Simple to make application
• Funds available for 60 items
F
armers have just two weeks to bid for cash from a new £60m grants scheme to
fund the purchase of new farm equipment.
Applicants to the Country- side Productivity Small Grant Scheme can request grants of be-
tween £3,000 and £12,000 towards the cost of specific items of agri- cultural equipment. The scheme opened for applications last month but closes at midday on 14 March. Grants are worth up to 40% of the costs of 60 different items of farm equipment. All items includ- ed in the scheme have been identi- fied as ones that will help farmers achieve improvements in either animal welfare, resource efficiency or nutrient management.
Innovative items
Defra minister George Eustice opened the scheme as he visited last month’s Dairy-Tech event at
The grants aim to encourage the uptake of technology and precision farming
Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. The majority of farmers would be able to find a range of innova- tive items they would want to ap- ply for, he said. Mr Eustice said the scheme had been designed with sim- plicity in mind. “By opening this small grants scheme, we hope more farmers will be able to ac- cess this equipment and embark on more innovative and ambitious projects,” he added. Farm consultant Helen Gos-
ling, of Strutt & Parker, said the scheme looked incredibly useful. “At a time when farmers are look- ing for ways to improve efficiencies
and manage their land in more sustainable ways, this funding could be invaluable.
“If money is left over follow- ing the first round of applica- tions, DEFRA has said it is pos- sible that there will be further funding rounds. However, you can only submit one application and we know the scheme has been ex- tremely popular in the past and so demand is likely to be heavy.”
“
We hope more farmers will embark on more innovative and ambitious projects
Eligible items
Items eligible for funding include livestock handling systems, crush- es, calving detectors and weigh- ing equipment. On the arable side, they include precision-farming equipment, GPS units, yield map- ping devices, variable rate control- lers and direct or strip till drills. Applications can be made on- line either by the farmer them- selves or by an agent. Each ap- plication will be automatically allocated a score based on a set number of criteria and if the ap- plication scores highly enough, a grant will be awarded. Last year, Defra also opened a series larger grants through the countryside productivity scheme. Farmers can apply for grants of over £35,000 for a range of dif- ferent projects – including those that make more efficient use of re- sources.
How the scheme works Agents applying on behalf of a
The Countryside Productivity Small Grant Scheme is different to the rest of the Countryside Pro- ductivity Scheme and supports the purchase of specific pieces of agricultural equipment. Farmers – including live-
stock, dairy, arable and horti- cultural producers – can apply for this grant.
farmer must ensure they have the correct permissions in place on rural payments. Agricultural con- tractors are not eligible for grants. Items included in this scheme
have been identified as helping achieve improvements in either: • animal welfare • resource efficiency or
• nutrient management. Each item in the Annex has a minimum specification and has been given a standard cost which is the maximum fixed price on which a grant will be paid. This means there is no need for ap- plicants to provide quotes for any item.
Items purchased must meet minimum
specifications as shown in the scheme guidelines.
Applicants can purchase items which exceed this specification but will only receive a grant based on the standard cost. Sec- ond hand items are not eligible under this scheme.
The grant is for a minimum
of £3,000, up to a maximum of £12,000. Grants can cover up to 40% of the eligible costs. For full details, visit
www.bit. ly/DefraSmallGrants
MARCH 2018 • ANGLIA FARMER 59
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