Over £30m for new equipment to boost sustainable food production

£31 million has been made available for equipment and technology to boost farm productivity, increase environmental sustainability and help slurry management.

Successful applicants can now claim for grants under the FETF Productivity and Slurry budget to help cover the costs of over 90 pieces of equipment.

Farmers will benefit from new equipment and technology to boost sustainable food production and reduce emissions and waste after £31 million was today (Thursday 8 June) made available in the latest round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF).

Successful applicants can now claim for grants under the Productivity and Slurry budget to help cover the costs of over 90 pieces of equipment, from rainwater harvesting tanks to reduce water scarcity for farmers in the summer; tree shears to help stop the spread of pests and diseases; to equipment to minimise grass contamination and ammonia emissions when spreading slurry.

The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund provides funding to farming businesses so they can invest in the tools they need to improve sustainable production across agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Productivity and Slurry grants will specifically support the procurement of equipment and technology that will help farmers use fewer inputs, reduce emissions and cut waste.

With over 3,000 applications received for the FETF 2023 Productivity and Slurry grants, the government is matching this high demand by increasing the total funding offered from £17 million to £31 million. Twenty-one additional items have been added under the scheme in 2023, including camera-guided inter-row sprayers to help reduce herbicide usage, and mulchers for forestry, orchards and vineyards to help reduce input costs and improve carbon retention in the soil.

This will ensure as many farmers as possible can claim for the equipment they need to run a profitable farming business that delivers for both food production and the environment.

Secretary of State for Food and Farming Thérèse Coffey said:

The tremendous interest shown in the FETF 2023 Productivity and Slurry underscores the determination of our farmers to drive ever more productive and sustainable farming practices to keep food on our plates whilst protecting our important landscapes and habitats.

By empowering farms to invest cash in new kit, we are ensuring our farmers, growers and foresters have the equipment they need to embrace innovation, protect the environment, and contribute to a thriving and sustainable agricultural sector.

Items applied for in the FETF 2023 Productivity and Slurry budget include:

The FETF 2023 forms part of the government's wider manifesto commitment to invest £2.4 billion per year in farming for the rest of this Parliament. In 2023 alone, £168 million is being made available to increase farming productivity through 16 different grants and competitions themed around productivity, research and innovation.

The FETF 2023 is made up of two themes: Animal Health and Welfare, and Productivity and Slurry. The Animal Health and Welfare FETF 2023 has been given a separate portal to streamline the application process and has seen 66 new items added to its books. Applicants can still apply to the Animal Health and Welfare strand of FETF 2023 until the 15 June 2023.

We intend to offer further rounds of FETF funding. Meanwhile, our larger grants offering will support further investment in water storage and improving irrigation slurry infrastructure, as well as funding for automation and robotics.

This announcement follows the Farm to Fork Summit at Downing Street last month where the government announced a package of support for the farming sector, including new measures to ensure the sector remains at the forefront of adopting new technologies and techniques.

Sharing will open the page in a new tab