You can now apply for the calf housing for health and welfare grant, as part of the farming investment fund introduced recently by the government.
The grant aims to improve a good ambient environment and facilitate social contact through pair or group housing. To include good air quality, temperature, and humidity within the building through design of suitable location, ventilation and other building features. The grant includes building new, upgrading or replacing existing calf buildings.
What can your grant pay for?
The grant can pay for 40% on capital costs to build new, or upgrade existing, calf housing buildings such as:
- A-frame buildings with four walls
- Mono-pitch buildings with three walls and one open side
- Permanent open-sided structures with igloos or hutches
The buildings must be a permanent non-movable building, securely attached to a foundation, intended for use for a minimum of 5 years.
All projects must meet the legal requirements for calf housing. This grant offers funding to help farmers deliver higher standards for health and welfare and is not intended to help meet the minimum standards.
Who can apply?
You can apply for a grant if you’re an existing cattle farmer in England carrying out farming activity, including calf rearing, with 11 or more cattle. Any buildings you build or upgrade with money from the grant must be located in England.
You must either own the land you’re building on, or have a tenancy agreement for the land until 5 years after the project is complete. You can apply if your current agreement will end sooner than 5 years after the project, if you expect it to continue.
Any monies from the Calf Housing for Health and Welfare grant must not be used to cross-subsidise any related, linked, parent, subsidiary, partnership or joint venture.
How do I apply?
The grants are being delivered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Funds from this grant must be used solely for the purposes of England business operations only.
For more information please visit the website or to discuss a potential calf shed project get in touch with the Fowler and Gilbert team.
