The first round of the Countryside Productivity Small Grant Scheme was very popular with more than 3,500 applications worth £23.5 million being successful in receiving a grant. The grant is available for all farm types including livestock, horticulture and arable businesses, with a total pot of £15 million available. The closing date for applications is midday 3^rd September 2019.

Key updates for Round 2

• 26 new items have been added to the list of equipment available
• Applicants for Round 1 funding can also submit a new application to receive funding in Round 2. The total value of both applications must not be more than £12,000

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The application process is online and the handbook is available here. Funding is available for 40% of the specified standard cost for a number of items designed to increase farm efficiency. Grants are available for £3,000 (£7500 total spend) - £12,000 (£30,000 total spend) per applicant with the ability to bundle together several items within the list.

The areas of funding included: Cattle & Dairy Equipment, Sheep Equipment, Pig Equipment, General Livestock Equipment, Precision Farming Equipment, Resource Management and Efficiency Equipment, Other General Equipment.

Issues experienced with the first round included

• Incorrectly filling in the application form: including not entering the SBI number correctly.   This meant that many applications were turned down due to minor errors.
• Equipment suppliers not being able to deliver the item within the 150 day window: There has been an extension allowed for certain items however some applicants have missed out on grant funding due to this and therefore it is important to get items ordered quickly once the grant offer has been received or even reserve the item if the supplier will allow this. The items in short supply included livestock handling systems and squeeze crush’s.