Defra have announced that applications for the new Slurry Infrastructure grant (part of the Farming Investment Fund) will open on 6th December 2022. The grant will help livestock farmers in England to improve or expand their slurry storage capacity to 6 months, based on existing livestock numbers. It will also fund the fitting of impermeable covers on grant-funded stores.
Defra plan to run the grant over multiple years, so if you aren’t ready to apply yet or aren’t selected in the first round, there will be more opportunities to apply.
Applying for a Slurry Infrastructure grant
As with other themes in the Farming Investment Fund, there are 2 stages to the application process:
Stage 1: Online eligibility checker
An online checker will open on 6th December 2022 and close on 31st January 2023.
The checker can be used to see whether you are eligible to apply for a Slurry Infrastructure grant and will estimate how much you could get based on your storage needs.
During this stage, you will be asked how much storage you need to reach 6 months serviceable storage. (AHDB) have published an updated version of slurry wizard to help you work this out.
Stage 2: Full application
Once the online checker closes, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will identify applications which have a higher environmental benefit. This will be based on location and proximity to areas where action is most needed to reduce pollution from agriculture.
These will be shared with the Environment Agency (EA) who will conduct a location and design check. This is to ensure that storage plans meet regulations and will reach at least 6 months storage.
Those invited to make a full application will need to submit details about their project.
To help you prepare, Defra have made the full grant guidance available on Slurry Infrastructure grant – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
