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This page gives an overview of the grant funding available from Defra for farmers, foresters, growers and contractors for investing in new technology, equipment and infrastructure.
Farming Investment Fund (FIF)
The Farming Investment Fund (FIF) provides grants to improve productivity, animal health and welfare and bring environmental benefits. FIF is made up of 2 separate funds:
- Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (for grants between £1,000 and £25,000)
- Farming Transformation Fund (for grants between £25,000 and £500,000)
Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF)
The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (for grants between £1,000 and £25,000) provides grants for equipment and technology that supports improvements in productivity, slurry management and animal health and welfare.
For general information about the scheme, you can read the FETF 2023 manual.
For further information about support to improve animal health and welfare, you can read a summary of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.
Farming Transformation Fund (FTF)
This fund provides grants (for grants between £25,000 and £500,000) towards large capital items to help businesses improve productivity, profitability, animal health and welfare and environmental sustainability. There are 5 grants: Calf Housing for Health and Welfare, Water Management, Slurry Infrastructure, Adding Value, Improving Farm Productivity
The Slurry Infrastructure Grant Round 2 is available to pig, beef and dairy farmers whose farming systems produce slurry.
You can apply for a grant to improve or expand your slurry storage capacity and to cover your stores. You must use the grant to meet the grant storage requirements (6 months for beef and dairy, 8 months for pigs). The grant is competitive. If the grant is oversubscribed RPA will prioritise projects that have the greatest environmental outcomes.
You can apply for a grant between £25,000 and £250,000. The first stage of the application process, the online checker, is now open for applications. If you’re interested in making an application, please read the Slurry Infrastructure grant Round 2 guidance which will explain the information you’ll need to provide. The online checker will close at 11:59pm on 17 January 2024.
The Improving Farming Productivity Grant will have £30million available in 2024, providing capital grants of £25,000 – £500,000 towards robotic, and automatic equipment, with further funding potentially available depending on interest levels. For the first time, it will also fund grants of between £15,000 and £100,000 towards solar equipment which can be fitted on rooftops and float on irrigation reservoirs. More information on this is expected in December.
Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF)
The Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) will open on 11 December 2023 to offer grants designed to help farmers attract private investment in nature. Projects must demonstrate how they will support farmers to access nature markets, or have significant farmer representation through a partnership.
Farmers and farmer-led groups are encouraged to apply and the scheme works alongside the Sustainable Farming Incentive, allowing for the same area of land to be entered into an agreement and a private sector arrangement, such as carbon trading or payments for natural flood management. Applicaitions are also welcome applications for non-farming not-for-profit organisations, charities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), public bodies and businesses as long as they can demonstrate how their project will support farmers to access nature markets.
Individual grants of up to £100,000 are available to each project to develop to the point that they are ready to attract private sector investment. In total, £5 million is available.
This is the third time grants have been made available through the fund, but this is the first time grants will be specifically targeted to support the farming sector.
Grants will fund the preparation of projects that help farmers to access nature markets.
It will enable farmers to come together on a landscape scale and present a combined offer to investors, allowing more farmers and — more types of farmers — to access and benefit from nature markets.
You’ll be able to apply on 11 December 2023. The deadline is 16 February 2024.
Defra have published guidance for the grant on GOV.UK to help you prepare.
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