Pig producers have one day to apply for Defra grants that could help their businesses under the latest phase of the Countryside Productivity Small Grants scheme.
The funding, worth £15 million in total, includes new grants specifically for pig producers. The deadline for applications is midday, Tuesday, September 3.
For the second round, 26 new items have been added to the list of equipment available, including some that will benefit pig businesses, useful options for both indoor and outdoor systems. Farm businesses can apply for grants of between £3,000 and £12,000 to help them invest in new and innovative technology.
The pig-specific options cover areas like: fixed handling systems for pigs (indoor and outdoor), electronic pig weighing and sorting systems, weigh bars, piglet creeps, monitoring cameras, ammonia analysers, a new item that can be used to check the levels of ammonia in farm buildings.
Grants are provided for 40% of costs up to a ceiling and are available for all farm types, including livestock, horticulture and arable businesses.
- You can read more about the pig-specific options and the payment rates here
- An overview of all the overall scheme options is available in the annex here
- The application form is available here
Defra is developing plans for a third £15m funding round in 2020, with details to be confirmed later this year to give potential applicants and suppliers sufficient time to prepare.