Applications are now open for the Farming Equipment & Technology Fund
The Government has announced the next round of grant funding to help finance new technology and equipment on farm - and Mole Valley Farmers can help you secure it!
In the most recent Countryside Productivity Small Grant Scheme (CPSG) we were able to help farmers claim £1.8 million in products. The recently launched (16th November) Farming Equipment & Technology Fund: Round 1 (FETF), again provides English farmers with a funding pot to part finance new technology and equipment.
We’ve trained a team of grant specialists to manage enquiries and orders on a one-to-one basis. They can offer support and advice on your application and provide competitive quotes on our unrivalled produce range from market leading manufacturers.
What is the new Farming Equipment & Technology Fund?
The grant is a contribution towards the cost of buying new technology or equipment from an approved list (Annex 3). It’s different from the previous CPSG because it is domestically funded, rather than EU-funded.
The aim of the funding is to help:
- Improve agricultural productivity
- Contribute to animal health and welfare
- Encourage more sustainable pesticide use
- Improve air and water quality
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with net zero targets
- Reduce unsustainable use of abstracted water
- Encourage sustainable management of woodland.
How much is covered?
The minimum grant value has reduced to £2,000 and the maximum grant value has increased to £25,000. It’s possible to apply for a total of £50,000 over the scheme’s duration. So if there are two rounds, you could apply for £25,000 at each round. Any funding received under the previous CPSG scheme won’t count towards the £50,000 total.
Who is eligible?
Farmers, horticulturists, forestry owners and contractors to the industry in England are eligible to apply. You must be registered with the Rural Payments service.
How do I apply?
To find the scheme manual, to check your eligibility and to find a link to the online application portal visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/farming-investment-fund#farming-equipment-and-technology-fund
Applications close on 7 January 2022.
What's covered by the grant?
Numerous items are eligible for the grant and are detailed in full under Annex 3 of the report.
Some of the items Mole Valley Farmers can supply you with are:
| Example items covered by the FETF | |
| Item | Amount funded by the grant |
| Fixed cattle handling systems | £3,866 |
| Automatic cattle crush | £895 |
| Mobile sheep handling system | £3,100 |
| Fixed sheep handling system | £1,600 |
| EID panel reader for sheep | £531 |
| Positive Pressure Tube Ventilation | £501 |
Call one of our grant specialists
Brian Dugdale
Scotland & North: 07584 445488
Clive Barrington-Cramp
Wales, Midlands & South East: 07966 711978
Jade Chidgey
Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire & Isle of White: 07773 176716
Ian Rolinson
Devon & Cornwall: 07733 224519
Sales & General Enquiries: 01769 576415
Grant Opportunity Webinar
If you missed our recent webinar or would like to watch it back again, you can view the recording here:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/7456600207127937287
With support from the Diverse Regeneration Company we discuss:
- how the scheme works,
- the opportunities available to you,
- the steps to take to secure your application,
- how our regional experts can support you,
- and the unrivalled product range we can offer.
Grant secures future-proofed handling system
Somerset beef farmers Ian and James Webber turned to Mole Valley Farmers when they decided to use the last Countryside Productivity Small Grant Scheme to part finance a state-of-the-art handling system.
Although James and Ian had an idea of what they wanted, Senior BDM, Jade Chidgey helped with the specifics, drawing together pricing and working alongside Ritchie to design the system’s layout.
They were keen to invest in a handling and weighing system to monitor growth rates, forecast cattle finishing numbers and track performance from the ration - and the system has enabled just that.
“It’s allowed easy weighing and easy cattle management and safety with cattle handling and a lot less stress on the animals as it’s a very simple system to run through,” says James, who weighs cattle every 4-6 weeks.
They are yet to use the EID system, but have EID tagged all cattle with tags from Mole Valley Farmers and plan to use the system in the future. “In the future everything is going EID, it’s all about future proofing,” James explains. “We like to think we’ve done it right and it should last years.”
“Jade helped us decide which weigh head, EID reader and weigh cells we needed, to fit with what we wanted it to do,” James says. “She’s very good. It was all fairly straight forward.”
The eventual system included three pens, a Ritchie squeeze crush with head scoop, EziWeigh 7 weigh head from Tru-Test and weigh cell bars. The system cost £22,640.27 + VAT with about 40% covered by the grant.
James and parents Ian and Lesley are farm contractors and hay and straw merchants based at Moorland Farm, Taunton. About five years ago they decided to set up a beef enterprise and now buy-in 3-4 months old British Blue cross dairy calves and finish 250-300 animals a year.
They were keen to invest in a handling and weighing system to monitor growth rates, forecast cattle finishing numbers and track performance from the ration - and the system has enabled just that.
“It’s allowed easy weighing and easy cattle management and safety with cattle handling and a lot less stress on the animals as it’s a very simple system to run through,” says James, who weighs cattle every 4-6 weeks.
They are yet to use the EID system, but have EID tagged all cattle with tags from Mole Valley Farmers and plan to use the system in the future. “In the future everything is going EID, it’s all about future proofing,” James explains. “We like to think we’ve done it right and it should last years.”
