The next stage of the Farming Investment Fund launching in June will offer grants focused on supporting farmers and growers to process, diversify and add-value to their products.

Adding Value Grants

The 30 million fund will offer grants of between £25,000 and £300,000 for up to 40% of eligible project costs.  

The grants awarded through Adding Value will pay for capital items to enable you to add value to eligible agricultural products, after they’ve been harvested or reared. Details on eligible capital items is contained within the manual. They include:   

• equipment for preparing or processing edible agricultural products for added value sales 
• equipment for ‘second stage’ processing of grain - for example, colour sorting, blending 
• equipment for processing non-edible agricultural products into new products (for example, flax, hemp, wool, hides, and skins) 
• equipment for retailing eligible agricultural products (for example, vending machines or display facilities) 
• premises for the preparation or processing of added value agricultural products, including associated integral storage areas. 

You can apply for a grant if you are: 

• a grower or other producer of agricultural products (by which we mean you carry on an agricultural or horticultural activity, including rearing livestock) 
• a business processing agricultural or horticultural products which is at least 50% owned by agricultural or horticultural producers. 

Adding Value Grant Manual 

The manual for Adding Value is available on GOV.UK.

You cannot apply for Adding Value grants until it launches in June, but this manual should help you consider your options and to make a choice in a timely way. It provides information on eligibility and what is and isn’t included.  

Remember, you can also apply for more than one theme under the Farming Transformation Fund, so long as the application windows are open.

This is in addition to an application under the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund up to the £25,000 maximum for that fund. 

Online Eligibility Checker

An online checker will be available as soon as the application window opens in June. It will give you an idea of your chance of success. 

If your project scores highly enough,  you will need to submit a full application. You will need to complete a full application form and send this with supporting documents (including quotes) to the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) by email.  

Successful projects will be provided with details about how to do this when the scheme is open for applications.  

Farmers and Growers will then have until 31 January 2024 to submit their full application. If planning permission is required it must be approved and submitted with the full application.