Written by William Kellett
£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 Victoria Prentis commented on this scheme, saying:
“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.
“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.”
‘Game-changing innovative technology’
Rural Payments Agency chief executive Paul Caldwell also commented on the scheme, saying:
“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 November 4 to make an application to the Rural Payments Agency.
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