Guidance for the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) 2025 is now live on GOV.UK, giving you time to prepare your application ahead of the fund opening on Wednesday 29th May. In this blog post, we’ve summarised the key details you need to know.
What is the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund?
FETF provides grants to help farmers, growers, foresters, and contractors invest in innovative equipment and technology that can cut costs, increase efficiency, and support sustainable practices.
For the 2025 round, there is a total of £46.7 million in funding available:
- £30 million for Productivity and Slurry Management
- £16.7 million for Animal Health and Welfare
The application window will be open from 29th May to midday, 10th July.
Funding Themes
Applications are grouped under three themes. You are encouraged to explore items across all themes — even those outside your core area — as there may be equipment that could benefit your business.
-
Productivity
Funding to improve farm efficiency and profitability. Popular items include:
- Tractor-powered electric desiccators (e-weeders)
- Robotic drills and guided hoes
- Inter-row hoes and precision sprayers
- Rainwater harvesting tanks
- Robotic silage pushers
Grants range from £1,000 to £25,000, and scoring is based on improvements to productivity, environmental impact, and industry uptake.
-
Slurry management
Support for better slurry collection, storage, testing, and spreading. Eligible equipment includes:
- Robotic slurry collectors
- Flow rate monitors
- Low-emission spreaders (e.g. dribble bars)
Scoring considers environmental benefit and how widely the equipment is adopted in the sector.
-
Animal health and welfare
Funding for equipment to enhance livestock health and welfare — which also boosts productivity and product quality.
Eligible for farmers of pigs, sheep, beef and dairy cattle, layer chickens and broilers. Popular items include:
- Piglet creeps
- Mobile handling systems
- Cooling systems for poultry housing
Applications can receive a 20% scoring boost if you’ve discussed your plans with a vet. This can be done through the Animal Health and Welfare Review, a funded visit from your vet.
Important notes
- The fund is competitive, and applications will be scored after the window closes.
- You may not receive all, or any, of the funding you apply for.
- If the fund is oversubscribed, preference may be given to those who have not previously received over £10,000 from productivity and slurry grants under earlier FETF rounds.
Join the webinar
Defra will be hosting a live webinar on Wednesday 21st May at 1pm to walk you through:
- What the fund offers
- Who is eligible
- How to apply
- How applications are assessed
Scheme applications
Our Stewardship & Grants team is available to complete, submit, and manage scheme applications on your behalf. For further help and advice, please contact them on 01981 590514.