A £40 million grants scheme has been launched for farm technology and equipment.

The Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, has announced the opening of a £40 million grants scheme for investment in farming technology and equipment.

In July Lord Gardiner announced a £200 million package of RDPE (Rural Development Programme for England) funding to support the growth of rural businesses.

This included a package of £120 million under Countryside Productivity for capital grants to increase farmers’ productivity and help them prepare for future challenges. Half of this was for large capital grants and half for small capital grants.

The first two large grants, Improving Forestry Productivity and Water Resource Management, were made available from Monday 31st July. The two remaining Countryside Productivity large grants have been launched this week. The Countryside Productivity landing page is being updated to include links to the applicant handbooks, application forms and applicant guidance for the two new grants, which are:

Adding Value to Agrifood Products - grants to fund projects that improve the processing of primary agricultural products (ie Annex I products), benefiting the agrifood supply chain which will in turn improve farm productivity. 

Improving Farm Productivity - grants to fund projects that improve farm productivity through the use of robotic equipment and systems to aid crop and livestock production; increasing the use of renewable energy produced on farm; the use of LED wavelength controlled lighting to aid crop production; more efficient use of livestock slurries and manures, and digestate.

Each theme or type of grant has its own handbook which includes: 

  • Details of the Countryside Productivity scheme - sets out how the national scheme context, how the grants and deadlines are managed
  • Details of the grants - contains details on who can apply, what the grants are for, how much they are and examples of projects
  • Who can apply - explains what type and size of business can apply for the grants and who can’t apply
  • Preparing an application - sets out the priorities for funding and how applications are processed
  • Funding and costs - explains how much funding is available, how applicants pay for the project, what the eligible costs are and what isn’t eligible
  • How to apply – provides an overview of the application forms, what is required, how to submit an application and what happens after an application is submitted.

The handbook for each type of grant is available as a PDF document on a single web page and holds all the information applicants will need.

If you have any queries contact the RPA helpline on 03000 200301 (choose the Rural Development option) or email CPEnquiries@rpa.gsi.gov.uk

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