The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) is set to open for a second round in 2023. An announcement has been made today that a new and improved FETF round is due to open, later this month for Productivity and Slurry Items, and in March for Animal Health and Welfare items.

The grant continues to be competitive, with the first round being significantly oversubscribed. The RPA are encouraging those that were unsuccessful last time to reapply this year.

For this years rounds, funding is available from £1,000 – £25,000 for Productivity and Slurry items, and £1,000 – £25,000 for Animal Health and Welfare items. Farmers can apply to either of the two ‘themes’, or both of them meaning there is potential to ‘max’ out the grant under each theme (although please remember this grant remains competitive).

Farmers that secured grant funding under the first round can reapply for up to £25,000 per theme again in this round. It is likely in the future there will be a cap on the combined grant amount you can claim under the FETF but for this year at least, the door is wide open for many more farmers to benefit from up to £50,000 (max of £25,000 under Productivity & Slurry, and max of £25,000 under Animal Health and Welfare).

The grant now has a lower minimum grant threshold and has been widened to include contractors who have a registered business address and who are carrying out  agricultural, horticultural or forestry operations.

The grant funding per item remains based on the grant amounts stated in the Handbook. These have been updated for this year’s round, and a further 87 items have been added to the list. It remains important that the items purchased meet the minimum specification but there is now scope to buy something larger than specified provided the minimum specification is achieved.

We will be providing further details on what is available under each ‘theme’ as the application window opens. If you are interested in applying and would like assistance then please do not hesitate to contact one of our specialist grants team on 01684 853400 or email enquiries@carverknowles.co.uk.