Slurry grant guidance and opening date announced by Defra

Dairy, beef and pig farmers in England will be able to apply for the second round of the Slurry Infrastructure Grant from November onwards.

Grant funding through Defra will provide 50% of the total building costs to farm businesses which are investing in covered slurry stores, tanks and lagoons, with grants of between £25,000 and £250,000 available.

Pig producers will be able to apply for up to eight months’ worth of slurry storage as part of the second round, while beef and dairy producers can apply for up to six months’ worth of storage.

See also: Slurry storage grants up to £250,000 opening for farmers

Slurry separators, covers for existing stores, and cast concrete stores have been added to the list of eligible items as part of the second round of the scheme.

However, the grant is still not available to farmers with solely poultry, sheep or arable enterprises.

Pig extension

The extension to eight months’ worth of cover for pig producers was welcomed by the National Pig Association (NPA).

NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said these grants will provide useful funding to help improve slurry storage.

“We were involved in the development of the scheme and, while we didn’t get everything we wanted – for example, we pushed hard for more storage capacity and permeable as well as impermeable covers – this is a real improvement for pig farmers on round one,”Ms Wilson added.

“We urge members to look at the guidance and consider applying if you think it could help your business. Please don’t be put off by the priority areas – just apply.”

A third round of the scheme is due to be announced in 2024.

How to apply

Once applications open in November, the first stage will be to complete an online checker, which will be used to gauge the level of demand from industry.

Farm businesses will then be informed by Defra as to whether they have been successful. Following this, successful applicants will be invited to submit a full application.

An updated online tool called the Slurry Wizard has been launched by AHDB, which will allow potential applicants to calculate their business’s total slurry storage needs.

Slurry covers

The requirement for all slurry stores to be covered by 2027 was first suggested in 2019 as part of the Clean Air Strategy.

Defra’s slurry infrastructure grant lead, Thomas Proudfoot, said that, earlier this year, the government restated its committed to consult on rules to reduce ammonia emissions from management of organic manures, including requirements to cover slurry and digestate stores.