£31 million has immediately (Thursday, June 8) been made obtainable to farmers and foresters for farm productiveness gear and expertise within the newest spherical of the Farming Tools and Know-how Fund (FETF).

Profitable candidates can now declare for grants below the productiveness and slurry funds to assist cowl the prices of over 90 items of apparatus like rainwater harvesting tanks and tree shears.

Over 3,000 functions had been obtained for this yr’s FETF, which supplies funding to farming companies to put money into instruments wanted for sustainable farming and manufacturing.

Because of the excessive quantity of functions, the federal government has mentioned it’s matching the “excessive demand” by rising the entire funding provided from £17 million to £31 million.

21 extra objects have been added below the 2023 scheme together with camera-guided inter-row sprayers to scale back herbicide utilization and mulchers for forestry, orchards and vineyards to assist cut back inputs prices and enhance carbon retention within the soil.

Secretary of State for Meals and Farming, Thérèse Coffey, mentioned: “The super curiosity proven within the FETF 2023 productiveness and slurry underscores the dedication of our farmers to drive ever extra productive and sustainable farming practices to maintain meals on our plates while defending our necessary landscapes and habitats. 

“By empowering farms to speculate money in new equipment, we’re making certain our farmers, growers and foresters have the gear they should embrace innovation, shield the surroundings, and contribute to a thriving and sustainable agricultural sector.”

Productiveness and slurry funds

A number of the objects utilized for within the FETF 2023 productiveness and slurry funds embody:

  • Direct drill with fertiliser placement for precision drilling of arable and canopy crops – to assist cut back crop institution prices and improve effectivity of fertiliser utilization. 250 candidates to be provided this grant value £6.25 million;
  • Robotic drill and guided hoe which is an autonomous robotic automobile that may exactly place seed within the floor and return to mechanically weed – this helps to scale back herbicide utilization and related prices. Ten functions accepted with a worth of £250,000;
  • Rainwater harvesting tanks with a minimal capability of 5,000L which can assist to scale back water shortage for farmers in the summertime months. This gear will now profit 86 recipients with a worth of £110,802;
  • Tree shears with the capability to fell 300mm diameter bushes to cease the unfold of pests and ailments throughout our woodlands. This funding helped 113 recipients with a complete worth of £363,747;
  • Dribble bars with a minimal working width of 6m designed to use slurry to the soil floor as precisely as attainable to minimise grass contamination and ammonia emissions. This gear was made accessible to 94 farmers, amounting to a worth of £403,200;
  • Direct drills with a width of 3m to preserve moisture and reduces soil erosion. This initiative assisted 129 candidates, totalling £1.555m in worth.

The FETF 2023 is made up of two themes: Animal well being and welfare, and productiveness and slurry.

The animal well being and welfare FETF 2023 has been given a separate portal to streamline the applying course of and has seen 66 new objects added to its books.

Candidates can nonetheless apply to the animal well being and welfare strand of FETF 2023 till June 15, 2023.