£25 million has been made available in grants for
productivity-boosting farming equipment in the third and
final round of the government’s Countryside Productivity
Small Grants (CPSG) scheme.
Under the scheme, farmers can apply for grants of between
£3,000 and £12,000 to buy new and innovative equipment –
from livestock monitoring cameras to precision farming
technology – which helps businesses save time and money and
improve productivity.
Last year, new items were added to the list of the
equipment available that will help farmers to benefit the
environment, such as equipment designed to help minimise
soil compaction in fields, monitor ammonia levels in farm
buildings, and increase machinery precision when applying
slurry.
Farmers who have been successful in applying for grants in
previous rounds of the scheme will also be able to apply
for different pieces of equipment within this final round
up to the scheme’s limit of £12,000 per farmer, meaning
that they can streamline other elements of their business
or start the move towards farming more sustainably.
Farming Minister said:
Helping our farmers to boost their productivity is
absolutely essential, and I’m delighted we’ve been able
to make £25 million in grants available to farmers to
invest in the latest technology.
Coming from a farming family, I have experienced
first-hand the benefits that having innovative equipment
can bring, including saving businesses time and money
while improving yields and minimising the impact we have
on the environment around us.
Our landmark Agriculture Bill sets out further measures
to help farmers become more productive, efficient and
resilient, with specific productivity grants expected to
be available from 2021.
Rural Payments Agency Chief Executive Paul Caldwell said:
It’s fantastic to be able to announce a third round of
the ever-popular Small Grants scheme. Having access to
game-changing innovative technology can make a real
difference to farmers and help boost the productivity of
the whole farming sector in England.
I would encourage all our customers to consider how this
offer may benefit their business or help them to prepare
for their future farming and apply for a small grant.
To date, £35 million has been allocated to farmers in the
scheme’s first two funding rounds, with today’s
announcement bringing the total funding made available
under the scheme to £60 million.
Although this is the final round of the Small Grants
scheme, powers have been included in the Agriculture Bill
to allow the government to provide financial assistance to
support farmers to invest in equipment, technology and
infrastructure that will not only boost their productivity,
but also deliver environmental and other public benefits.
Further detail on the support available from 2021 is due to
be released later this year.
Farmers will have until midday on 4 November to make an
application to the Rural Payments
Agency.
More information on
the Countryside Productivity Small Grants scheme and
the handbook for this round of the scheme can be found
here.
