Grants towards a wide range of useful farming equipment are available under the first round of this year's Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF).
The scheme provides grants of between £1,000 and £25,000 towards the cost of a long list of equipment or technology to help improve animal health and welfare.
In addition, grants of between £1,000 and £50,000 are available to help boost on-farm productivity and manage slurry.
There are over 130 specified items on this year's list, including 29 new additions.
The application window for welfare grants closes on 1 May, while the window for productivity and slurry items ends on 17 April.
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will pay around 50% or 60% of the expected average cost of the listed items, or of the actual cost if it costs less than the expected average listed.
Applications will be competitive, with farmers able to increase their application score by providing evidence that they've discussed it with a vet, including through Animal Health and Welfare Reviews.
Defra’s latest farming blog on FETF 24 reads: "The budget for each grant is split evenly across the application windows.
“If your application falls below the scoring threshold and is unsuccessful, the RPA will reject it.
"You will be able to apply again. If you’ve accepted a grant funding agreement (GFA) to buy items from a grant, you cannot apply again for the same grant in 2024.”
Defra confirmed it is planning two more FETF application windows later this year.
