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FARMERS in the South West are being invited to apply for productivity-boosting funding in the third and final round of a popular grants scheme.

A total of £25 million has been made available in grants for high-tech farming equipment under the Government’s Countryside Productivity Small Grants (CPSG) scheme.

Farmers can apply for grants of between £3,000 and £12,000 to buy new and innovative equipment – from livestock monitoring cameras to precision farming technology – which help businesses save time and money and improve productivity.

Last year, new items were added to the list of the equipment available that will help farmers to benefit the environment, such as equipment designed to help minimise soil compaction in fields, monitor ammonia levels in farm buildings, and increase machinery precision when applying slurry.

In the South West last year, 904 eligible applications worth £5,550,170 were taken forward, with 354 applications coming from Devon and 253 from farmers in Cornwall.

Farming Minister, Victoria Prentis, said: “Helping our farmers to boost their productivity is absolutely essential, and I’m delighted we’ve been able to make £25 million in grants available to farmers to invest in the latest technology.

“Our landmark Agriculture Bill sets out further measures to help farmers become more productive, efficient and resilient, with specific productivity grants expected to be available from 2021.”

Paul Caldwell, chief executive of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), added: “I would encourage all our customers to consider how this offer may benefit their business or help them to prepare for their future farming and apply for a small grant.”

Farmers will have until midday on Wednesday, November 4 to make an application to the RPA. For more information and the handbook for this round of the scheme, visit the website www. gov.uk/guidance/countrysideproductivity-scheme