Applications for the second round of the slurry infrastructure scheme have opened with a further £74 million available to help farmers invest in improved slurry infrastructure to tackle water pollution and improve air quality. This grant forms part of a total of £200m being invested in slurry infrastructure and equipment, and more than doubles the funding on offer in the first round of the scheme to help meet increased demand. Farmers can apply for grants of £25,000 to £250,000 to build additional, replace, expand, and cover slurry stores, and fund equipment such as separators, reception pits and agitators.
The grant is available to pig, beef and dairy farmers whose farming systems produce slurry. You can use the grant to help replace, build additional, expand or cover existing slurry stores to reach the grant storage requirements:
- 6 months for beef and dairy
- 8 months for pigs
This grant is competitive and if oversubscribed, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will prioritise projects that have the greatest environmental outcomes based on their location.
How the grant works
You’ll need to follow a 3-stage application process.
Stage 1: Slurry wizard and online checker
The first stage of the application process, the online checker, is now open to make an initial online application. See the How to apply for a Slurry Infrastructure grant Round 2 guidance. The checker will close for applications at 11:59pm on 17 January 2024.
Stage 2: Slurry store location and design assessment
If your project is shortlisted, the RPA will ask you to complete a slurry store location and design assessment form. This will be assessed by the Environment Agency to ensure you meet the grant storage requirements and regulations. You must submit your slurry store location and design assessment form by 30th September 2024.
Stage 3: Full application
If the Environment Agency confirms that the location and design assessment is satisfactory, you will be asked to submit your full application. The RPA will assess your project to make sure that it is viable, as well as the current financial viability of your business and how you will fund the project until you claim the grant.
You must submit your full application by 27th June 2025. If your full application is eligible and you meet all the conditions, the RPA will offer you a grant.
Find out more at: Slurry Infrastructure grant Round 2: applicant guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Covering slurry stores
One of the questions Defra get asked the most is whether all slurry stores will need to be covered by 2027. This was a suggestion made in the Clean Air Strategy, published in 2019.
Covering slurry stores is a well-established practice to minimise ammonia emissions. It’s set out in the Code of Good Agricultural Practice (COGAP). Earlier this year, the government stated that it’s committed to consult on rules to reduce ammonia emissions from management of organic manures, including requirements to cover slurry and digestate stores, however no set regulations have been introduced to support this.
You should be confident that any stores built through the slurry infrastructure grant will be compliant with future rules. The scheme has been designed to invest in high specification stores and covers that maximise ammonia abatement.
Slurry stores will not need to be covered unless or until new rules are brought in. Farmers will be given plenty of notice and support to implement any new changes.
For further help and advice, please contact our Agricultural Compliance team on 01981 590514.
