Take advantage of Government grants to invest in slurry stores
FUNDING is being made available to farmers in England to help them overcome current significant financial barriers to investing in slurry storage on farm.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) said adequate slurry storage is essential for farmers to continue protecting water courses and improve water and air quality.
It comes as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has launched the first round of its Slurry Infrastructure grant worth £13 million. Farmers will be able to apply for grants of between £25,000 and £250,000 towards the cost of building, replacing or expanding slurry storage to achieve six months capacity.
Tom Bradshaw, deputy president of the NFU, said the farming industry has already made “significant progress”, with a 75% reduction in serious pollution incidents year-on-year compared to 2000. Farmers want and can do more to cut pollution levels and this grant will “go a long way” to supporting that, he added.
“Though some farmers have plans, equipment and infrastructure in place to manage the nutrients in their slurry and manure, others face significant financial barriers to having sufficient slurry storage. The new funding being made available through the Slurry Infrastructure Grant scheme will provide farmers in England an opportunity to invest in slurry systems and boost their storage capacity to six months. This will help drive improvements that further reduce the environmental impact of those businesses, improve productivity and reduce input costs.
Mr Bradshaw added that the NFU has been “working closely with Defra” on the development of the scheme, and will continue to do so to ensure as many farmers as possible are able to access this type of funding support.
“It’s vital that future farming schemes enable farmers to invest in new technology and infrastructure to tackle potential pollution issues and crucially improve water and air quality, as part of protecting the environment alongside producing sustainable climate-friendly food.
“I would encourage farmers to look at what’s on offer with this scheme, consider the requirements for their farm, and make their applications as quickly as possible and, if accepted, give themselves as much time as possible to make the necessary planning and building arrangements.”
Meanwhile, the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) said with air and water quality of “increasing concern” and “extremely high” fertiliser prices, it’s a “nobrainer” for farmers to take advantage of the new Slurry Infrastructure grant.
“Water legislation is tightening and it’s not going to go away,” commented Jeremy Moody, secretary and adviser at the CAAV. “Improving slurry stores to benefit the environment is likely to become a statutory requirement in future, so while the Government is offering money to get there it makes sense to take it.”
Tenants may need to have an open discussion with their landlord to ensure eligibility for the scheme, and to decide who pays for it, Mr Moody warned. “Landlords need to be practical and allow these improvements. Under an Agricultural Holdings Act tenancy, the tenant can challenge it if their landlord says no, but with Farm Business Tenancies there needs to be a practical discussion.”
Defra requires farmers to have at least five years’ use of the land after the final grant payment is made, so tenants may need to negotiate a term extension. “Bear in mind you’re also likely to need planning permission, and time to secure the contractors and materials – so in reality five years quickly becomes eight. It’s probably worth securing ten years’ cover, which gives sufficient time to write off the investment cost.”
However, it would be extremely helpful if the Government helped ensure the scheme’s success by removing the need for planning permission, Mr Moody concluded. “It’s crazy to let the planning system get in the way of solving water pollution.”