FARMING EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY FUND
You can apply now for farm productivity and slurry grants with a deadline of 4th April 2023 - click here. Grants for animal health and welfare will open in March. The list of eligible equipment has been expanded and the minimum grant has been reduced to £1,000. Go “shopping” at: FETF Round 2 - list of items.
ANNUAL HEALTH AND WELFARE REVIEW
This is now open with a payment to help cover the cost of a vet visit and testing for endemic diseases - go to: Animal Health and Welfare Review. The first stage is for farmers to register their interest for the scheme here. An email should then confirm whether you are eligible to apply and you then need to apply for an annual health and welfare review of your livestock. This asks for the business’ email address and Defra then emails a link to the application form. When your application has been approved, you then contact your vet with the scheme guidance. This two-stage process is confusing both farmers and vets at the moment – please let us know your experiences of applying.
COUNTRYSIDE STEWARDSHIP APPLICATION WINDOWS
- Higher Tier Stewardship is now open for applications with a deadline of 28th Read more here.
- Mid-Tier Stewardship will open on 24th March with a deadline of 18th August 2023.
- The Stand-alone capital grant scheme is open all year.
SFI 2022 STANDARDS
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is open and you can apply for the Standards that were rolled out in 2022 including the soils standards and the moorland standard. However, if you are interested in applying for the 6 new 2023 standards expected in June, we would advise that you wait as you can only change your agreement every 12 months.
FARMING IN PROTECTED LANDSCAPES
If you are in a National Park or AONB, you can apply at any time for FiPL grants – talk to your local FiPL officers about what might be eligible. The scheme has now been extended until March 2025.