Further information has now been released about the slurry storage grant by the Rural Payments Agency. This grant will be available to farmers from the Autumn, so now is the time to start thinking about whether the grant will suit your farm.
The grant will be available to dairy, beef and pig farmers who already use a slurry system to upgrade their current storage facilities. These upgrades must bring on farm slurry capacity to provide 6 months storage and will also fund impermeable covers for stores to keep out rainwater.
The grant can be used to:
Replace stores that are no longer fit for purpose
Increase storage if current storage is compliant with regulations
Expand current compliant storage
There will be several type of storage that can be put in place as part of the grant, such as lagoons, ring tanks and concrete stores so that the store type selected best suits the needs of the specific farm, but the store put in place must provide 6 months storage for the current livestock on farm. If you decide to implement a bigger store the grant funding will be capped at 6 months storage. As a condition of the grant you must maintain 6 months storage and therefore this should be considered if you are thinking of increasing the livestock numbers for example.
Any store implemented as part of the grant must be fitted with an impermeable cover to prevent rainfall infiltration and reduce air pollution. If your farm already used an acidification system to reduce slurry pH to below 6 in store you will be exempt from this requirement. The grant cannot be used to retrofit covers onto existing stores unless you are increasing the capacity of that store.
The grant will cover 50% of costs to provide 6 months storage only, with the minimum amount available being £25,000 and the maximum amount £250,000. The scheme may become competitive with applications scored if too many apply for the scheme. It is thought that future rounds of the scheme will be available.
An online eligibility checker will become available in the autumn, with those that are successful here being invited to make a full application over the winter.
Now is the time to start planning if this is the grant for you, this can be done by:
Working out your current storage capacity
Calculating how much extra storage you will require to reach the 6 months storage level based on your current livestock
Thinking about where you wish for the store to be located and if you will need planning permission for the new store
If you would like to guidance on this new grant or would like assistance with calculating the difference between your current storage and what storage you will need to apply for please do get in touch with Gemma on 07533340847 or gemma@blackdownconsulting.co.uk
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