Grant application process simplified as plans make headway – July update

PERFORMANCE Grant applications continue to increase as livestock programme plans on cattle, sheep, pig and poultry farms reach fruition - for Round 5 / June deadline there were 129 applications submitted

Around 80% of these applications were from animal health and welfare plan recommendations, rather than from nutrient management and resource efficiency applications . Four applications were deferred and just one was rejected - while others were adjusted before approval.

More nutrient management and resource audit grant applications are being sought for future rounds.

Livestock Performance Grant - URGENT REMINDER

If the date on the invoice for any item grant aided is earlier than the date of your offer letter, then the NWDA is not allowed to pay the claim. So do not purchase any equipment until you have received notification that your grant application has been successful!

The application process has also been simplified as to the level of additional material grant applications now require:

• You no longer need to submit three years' farm accounts. The NWDA will now accept applications without FULL accounts for the last three-years’ trading. Instead, “a signed statement of business viability from your accountant, which must include a balance sheet summary and net profit figures covering the most recent three years of trading,” will suffice.

Due to constraints on time and capacity, a decision has been taken regarding the grant scheme that the NWDA will now accept applications without full accounts. But as stated above, the accountant’s letter will have to contain a factual summary of the business’s performance.

The NWDA is able to request full accounts from the applicant if need be, especially if the application goes for external assessment and the assessors require them.

In previous rounds (Rounds 1 to 4) a small number of applications were turned down at various stages of the process for ineligible items, lack of evidence, items deemed too close to standard farming practice, or due to potential duplication with Catchment Sensitive Farming.

Other applications have had costs reduced due to items being too close to replacement or repair e.g. concreting floor areas with no added technical benefit.

Closing Date for Round 6

The closing date for the next round of grant applications (Round 6) is 30th September 2010 (the final round closes on 31st December 2012).

Plans completed

So far 354 animal health plans have been completed across the North West from the 679 that have been started with SAC.  Promar have completed 251 nutrient management plans and carried out 167 resource audits on North West farms.

Examples of grant funded items 

Animal health and welfare recommendations made by local vets and advisors have led to grants being offered for back-flush systems, heat detection, comfort mattresses and cubicles, specialist handling systems and specialist calf feeders.

The type of nutrient management projects that have successfully been offered up to 40% grants have included covering middens and silage pits, slurry aerators and separators.

And resource efficiency recommendations have so far seen performance grants offered to help fund heat recovery systems, solar panels and plate coolers.

Successful applications have largely been from dairy farms across the North West (197 dairy or dairy/mixed farms, 34 beef and sheep farms, one poultry farm and two pig farms).

Click Here for further information on Performance Grants or call the NWDA on 01768 861 306 for guidance.

Grants offered to date after four rounds of panel decisions:                                             

Animal Health and Welfare	163	£970,183
Resource Efficiency	32	£181,919
Nutrient Management	39	£255,915
Total	234	£1,418,271

 

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