SPECIALIST performance grants are available through the RDPE Northwest Livestock Programme to help improve the overall economic performance of livestock holdings in the North West of England.
*You cannot apply for a grant until you have had a plan or audit completed.
The grants will help livestock farmers fund the recommendations of technical plans (Animal Health and Welfare Planning, Nutrient and Manure Management Planning and Resource Efficiency Audits) offered through the Rural Development Programme for England. (Click on the links above for further info on each)
These grants are for projects that take a farm’s performance above normal farm practice and cannot be used to help comply with statutory regulations. There is a specified list of eligible items, and grants can only be applied for if recommended as a priority in the relevant plan(s) carried out by an adviser or vet.
To request a grant application pack, or for more guidance on eligible items, contact the Northwest Regional Development Agency’s RDPE team in Penrith:
Phone: 01768 861 306
Email: rdpe@nwda.co.uk
The maximum grant rate is 40%. The minimum amount is £2,000 / the maximum is £8,000 per application. No more than £12,000 is allowed per business from the total grant pot.
Examples of eligible items
Nutrient and Manure Management Plan recommendations could include funding for:
- Roofing middens to reduce water entering manure / slurry or any work that reduces the need for extra slurry storage, such as the separation of clean and dirty water and covering dirty yard areas.
- Roofing silage pits to exclude rainwater.
- Slurry aerators / separators.
Animal Health and Welfare Plan recommendations could include funding for:
- Specialist equipment to improve livestock performance recording and handling e.g. turning crates or weighing crates. Standard livestock handling facilities are not eligible.
- EID technology.
- Small scale animal welfare building enhancements e.g comfort cubicles, grooving or slats.
Resource Efficiency Audit recommendations could include funding for:
- Roof water recycling equipment such as tanks, pipes and filters.
- Heat recovery systems.
- Farm scale renewable energy facilities (business use only) – such as wind turbines, solar panels and wood fuel / biomass boilers.
-
Incinerators and digesters for carcase disposal.
Deadlines for applications to the NWDA (quarterly):
Year 2010/2011 closing dates:
- Round 5 = 30 June 2010
- Round 6 = 30 September 2010
- Round 7 = 31 December 2010
- Round 8 = 31 March 2011
Year 2011/2012 closing dates:
- Round 9 = 30 June 2011
- Round 10 = 30 September 2011
- Round 11 = 31 December 2011
- Round 12 = 31 March 2012
Year 2012/2013 closing dates:
- Round 13 = 30 June 2012
- Round 14 = 30 September 2012
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Round 15 = 31 December 2012
NEWS UPDATES from NWDA
