Slurry infrastructure grant details in England released
© Tim Scrivener Up to £250,000 is to be offered to dairy, beef and pig farmers in England to meet environmental expectations on slurry storage.
Defra says the Farming Investment Fund (FIF) will pay 50% of the cost of building a new slurry store, or replacing or expanding existing storage on farms that currently don’t have the facilities, for holding six months’ worth of slurry.
See also: New Defra list of grants shows slurry store support on way
Support awarded to farm businesses from the slurry infrastructure grant will range from a minimum of £25,000 up to £250,000, and can be used to pay for stores, impermeable covers, and additional equipment such as pumps, pipes and safety equipment.
The grant can’t be used to retrofit a cover onto an existing store without also expanding that store – funding for covers for existing stores is available under the Countryside Stewardship scheme.
The volume of a store can hold more than six months’ worth of storage, but the grant will only cover what it costs to meet the six months threshold.
Farmers who have a store that has reached the end of its design life, and may be susceptible to leaks or failure, can apply to replace it.
All grant-funded stores will need to be fitted with an impermeable cover unless the slurry is treated through acidification.
Defra says the scheme is open to land-owning and tenant farmers, but it admits that not everyone will be successful in the first round.
In the first year, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will prioritise projects that have the biggest environmental impact, focusing on those located near protected sites.
RPA will list its priority locations before the application window opens in autumn 2022.
Defra suggests that applicants who are unsuccessful in this round will have further opportunities to apply in the future.
It stresses that farmers who already have six months’ of slurry storage that is fit for purpose are not eligible to apply.
Although the “storing silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil” rules only require four months of storage, the grants will allow farmers to meet the Farming Rules for Water regulations and to spread slurry when crops need it.