About the FETF
Find out what the grant is for, who can apply and how much funding you can apply for.
What the grant is for
The grant is a contribution towards the cost of buying new technology or equipment from an approved list in Annex 3. The Items available to apply for have been identified following consultation with industry groups and suppliers, to help:
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improve agricultural productivity
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contribute to improved Animal Health and Welfare
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encourage more sustainable pesticide usage
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improve air and water quality
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reduce GHG emissions in line with Net Zero targets
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reduce unsustainable use of abstracted water
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encourage sustainable management of woodlands
You can apply for funding towards specific Items of equipment listed at Annex 3. Annex 4 provides a quick reference breakdown of Items by agricultural type, horticulture, and forestry sector.
Items must be purchased through a supplier or manufacturer and not home built. The Item must have the recognised CE or UKCA marking where required and be appropriate to the date of manufacture. You can find guidance on Using the UKCA Marking on GOV.UK.
If the equipment you want is not listed at Annex 3, or does not meet the minimum specification for the relevant Item in Annex 3, it is not eligible under this fund. If you buy any ineligible Items at the same time as the Items you can claim for, ask your supplier to invoice you for them separately. It may take us longer to process your claim if eligible and ineligible Items are included on your invoices.
Farmers, horticulturalists, and forestry owners in England can apply. Contractors can also apply if they have a registered business address in England. Contractors are defined as a business (including a sole trader) that carries out an agricultural, horticultural or forestry activity as a service.
The following are not eligible to receive the grant:
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non-departmental public bodies including local authorities
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Crown bodies
You must not apply for a grant for any Items that you have already received public funding for. Examples of previous schemes funding similar Items are: the Fruit and Vegetables Producer Organisation Operational Programme or any RDPE grant including Countryside Productivity Small Grants (CPSG), Countryside Productivity large grant, the Growth Programme, LEADER, Farming Recovery Fund, Cumbria Countryside Access Fund and Countryside Stewardship.
You must not buy your Items from a supplier who you or your business are part of or linked to in any way.
Any monies from the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund grant scheme must not be used to cross-subsidise any related, linked, parent, subsidiary, partnership, joint venture businesses or operations based in Northern Ireland. Funds from this grant will solely be used for the purposes of England business operations only.
The grants are for a minimum of £2,000 and a maximum of £25,000 for Items listed in Annex 3. The cost listed for each Item is the actual grant amount we will pay. So regardless of how much you pay you will receive the grant amount listed for that Item, whether it is less or more than you paid.
It is your responsibility to fund the remaining cost of an Item. You must have sufficient funds to pay for all Items in full, before claiming your grant payment, as this is paid in arrears.
For example, if you buy an Item costing £1,000 and the grant amount indicated at Annex 3 for that Item is £400, you need to pay the remaining £600 yourself. You can’t fund this remaining amount with other UK public funds such as other grants, or via lease or hire purchase.
All Items bought must meet the minimum specifications shown in Annex 3. Only brand-new Items can be funded through the FETF. Ex-demo, second hand and ‘try before you buy’ Items are not eligible for this fund. If you claim for these Items your whole claim will be rejected. You can’t use part exchange of goods as evidence of payment. Payment for goods claimed under this fund must be made in full for the value of the goods shown on the invoice. If the part exchange is against non-grant funded Items, ask the supplier to invoice these separately. You must also make sure no Items in your application are replacements covered by an insurance claim.
If the piece of equipment meets the specification of more than one Item, you can only apply for grant funding once. For example, if you buy a yield monitoring device, which also has variable rate control functionality, you can only apply for either FETF51 Yield Monitoring or FETF50 Variable Rate Controller, not both.
There is no need for you to provide quotes for any Item.
Important Note for Foresters
Grants under the FETF are subject to the UK’s international subsidy control obligations. Grants to foresters who do not undertake any agricultural or horticultural activity as part of their day-to-day operations, will be awarded under the Small Amounts of Funding Exemption (SAFE) in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the UK and the European Union. Under the SAFE exemption (previously known as ‘de minimis aid’) a business (including any current or former subsidiaries or branches) can receive subsidies of up to a maximum amount specified in the TCA (around £335,000 at the time of this publication) over any period of three financial years.
Any grant offer will be conditional upon compliance with the SAFE exemption and the receipt by RPA of a declaration form confirming the level of SAFE funding and de minimis aid received in the current and/or previous two financial years. If you are a forester and have received previous SAFE funding or de minimis aid, we recommend you only place orders that can be cancelled and refunded.
Where the grant is made under the Small Amounts of Funding Exemption (SAFE) you will have to keep a copy of the Grant Funding Agreement and SAFE declaration for a period of at least ten years from the date of the payment.
Further details are available on the declaration form.