Are you looking to grow your farm business?

Then, LEADER grant may be for you. It is a European Union funded grant. The amount of grant available and the priorities for funding will depend on the local LEADER group.

Generally, the funding is available to help improve the performance and sustainability of your business, support animal health and welfare improvements, farm diversification and growth of rural businesses and support for increasing forestry productivity.

The funding available for improving the performance and sustainability of your business will cover items such as:

• Equipment to reduce impacts on soils, improve efficiency of the use of energy, water, fertiliser and other direct inputs
• Investments to mechanise production and increase productivity
• Fertiliser spreaders capable of automatically varying the application rate through GPS and field monitoring. They must be linked to GPS with auto shut off and built in weighing facilities to provide accurate recording of application
• Variable application GPS drills are eligible so long as they require no pre-cultivation of the soil and can operate with high volumes of surface debris without blocking thereby reducing the disturbance of the soil
• LED lighting in livestock housing
• Remote crop sensing systems and crop robotics
• Nipple feeders in poultry systems
• Investments to improve the management of slurry and manures to reduce the reliance on artificial fertilisers. This could be trailing shoe with macerators, GPS for use with slurry and manure application.
• Mechanical sand separation/ reclaiming sand in cubicles
• Robotic scrapers

The items funded under the priority to support animal health and welfare improvements are as follows:

• Equipment and machinery to improve the monitoring of animal feed and water. Such as collar based rumination systems
• Gait analysis systems
• Cluster flushes in dairy parlours including ADF
• Robotic milking parlours (some LEADER areas will not prioritise)
• Automatic footbaths
• Variable speed vaccum pumps and plate coolers
• Collars or pedometers to monitor heat , health and such things
• Equipment to improve the early detection of diseases
• Electronic working equipment linked to EID
• Equipment and machinery to improve animal handling above standard equipment
• Mobile handling systems
• Electronic weigh systems linked to EID and EID readers
• Foot trimming crush, sheep turner and sheep weigher

The farm diversification and growth of rural businesses are aimed at farmers looking to diversify or rual micro and small businesses looking to start or grow. Additionally, job creation is necessary with one job per £30,000 of grant awarded.

It will fund items such as:

• Buildings or building expansion
• Equipment/ machinery to grow your business
• Fit out a new building
• Fixed shelving
• Commercial catering equipment

This can support businesses such as tourist attractions, retail outlets (including farm shops), business office/ factory space for your business and generally, types of rural businesses that are looking to expand and need new equipment or space.

To be successful in applying for tourist accommodation there needs to be a gap in the market that will not displace other businesses. Therefore, market research is key to a successful application.

Support for increasing forestry productivity is aimed at restoring regular management to woodland and increasing the economic return. The items funded are:

• Tree shears
• Grapples, cone splitters
• Winches
• Timber processes
• Tractor or trailer mounted cranes and forestry grabs/tongs
• Forwarders
• Mobile saw bench
• Firewood processors

The minimum grant available is £2500, which means the minimum project size must be £6250 due to the grant covering a maximum of 40% of the cost. The remaining 60% must be funded by yourselves).

The maximum grant available will vary across the LEADER groups, but they can be up to approximately £170,000. This will depend on de-minimis state aid rules and depending on your LEADER area maximum grant level.

The application process contains two stages and takes approximately 3-5 months to go through both stages, depending on the LEADER area, their application process and meeting dates.

The Countryside Productivity Scheme and Growth Programmes are also available and include a one part application process for larger projects.

If you would like anymore information on any of the grants mentioned, then please get in contact.