Leading rural consultancy Galbraith is advising farmers to apply now for the expanded Farming Equipment and Technology Fund grant scheme, which offers funding towards a broad range of commonly used pieces of equipment and technology.

The Animal Health & Welfare section of the scheme, open now, offers part funding  for over 130 items, including an additional 29 new products compared with previous years.

These include handling facilities, weigh crates, livestock cameras, automatic drench gun and EID readers.

The minimum grant funding is £1,000 and the maximum is £25,000, towards the cost of the equipment. Applications must be made before 1 May.

Separately, farmers can apply for grant funding of between £1,000 and £50,000 for productivity and slurry items. A percentage of the cost will be covered, depending on the item.

Applications are open now and close on 17th April 2024.

Megan Proctor, a rural surveyor with Galbraith in Hexham said: “This is a useful source of support for farm businesses, particularly as input costs have risen significantly, especially for feed and fertiliser. Applications close on 1st May for the animal health funding and on 17th April for the slurry funding, so it is worth setting aside some time to assess what equipment you may need and whether it is covered by the scheme.  It can feel like just more paperwork at a very busy time of the year, but in our experience it is well worth submitting an application before the deadline.”

Farmers may also be eligible to apply for a fully funded vet visit as part of the annual health and welfare review, within the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme.

Galbraith manages or advises on over 4.5 million acres of farm, forestry, and estate land in northern England and across Scotland.