The new £5m Countryside Productivity Scheme was launched on the 9th March 2015.

 

The scheme offers funding for up to 40% of the capital costs of a variety of equipment and applications must be for between £2,500 – £35,000 (Small Grant) or £35,000 – £100,000 (Large Grant) of grant funding depending on the equipment sought.

 

The scheme is targeting technologies that are significantly above and beyond normal practice. The eligible items are more restricted and require greater justification than under the previous Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme (FFIS) and the application process is more demanding and competitive.

 

A list of eligible items is listed below under broad sector headings. If you are interested in applying for funding then please do not hesitate to contact Carver Knowles to discuss eligibility and what information is required so that a competitive application can be made.

 

Eligible Items for Funding:

 

DAIRY

  • Automated dairy cow lameness detection – eg. sensor platforms, controllers and software
  • Collar based rumination monitors and software
  • Devices for on-farm analysis of livestock foodstuffs – eg. handheld forage analysis devices etc.
  • Calving detectors – eg. thermometers, sensors, base station systems and software
  • Activity monitors to detect oestrus – eg. motion detectors etc.
  • Static handling and weighing systems – must include static EID reader and electronic weighing linked to EID and a non-slip race.

 

PIGS

  • Real-time monitoring of pig production – eg. sensors and hardware for temperature, humidity and ventilation control.

 

SHEEP

  • Static handling and weighing systems – must include static EID reader and electronic weighing linked to EID and a non-slip race.

 

WATER MANAGEMENT

  • Items to improve the water efficiency of their farm irrigation system – eg. water metering equipment, soil moisture monitors, precision irrigation, new reservoirs and infrastructure (subject to certain conditions)

 

LIVESTOCK GENERAL

  • LED Lighting for non-intensive farms – systems to include LED lights including fixtures, fittings, installation and programmable light controls.

 

ARABLE / HORTICULTURAL

  • LED lighting with wavelength control – systems to include LED lights, control mechanism and associated computer software.

 

POULTRY

  • Poultry litter drying system – equipment must remove at least 85% of the moisture from the litter and re-use the captured waste heat to dry the litter or heat poultry housing.

 

SLURRY

  • Deep or shallow injection system
  • Trailing shoe
  • Dribble bar

 

  • The equipment must fit onto a slurry tanker or umbilical distribution system and the application must also include a flow rate monitor and a GPS system.

 

FORESTRY

  • Variety of forestry equipment – eg. winches, chippers, saw benches, forwarders, grabs, firewood processing equipment, trailers etc.

 

PIG / POULTRY

  • Air Scrubber and Heat Exchangers for pig / poultry buildings.

 

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

  • Installation of controlled atmosphere storage

 

CROPS

  • Remote crop sensing grants to detect disease and weeds, green leaf areas, fertiliser requirements, water stress and monitor yields – eg. unmanned robotic aerial vehicles, mounted sensors and associated           software.
  • Crop robotics grants for mechanical weed control, laser / electric weed control, targeted chemical weed control, harvest selection – eg. systems using in-field camera sensing and computer analysis to control operations.