The DEFRA Adding Value grant will open in June
A grant for buildings, machinery, or equipment so that producers can add value to eligible agricultural products after they are harvested or reared.
Eligible agricultural products include:
· arable and horticultural crops (including food and non-food crops)
· livestock products (including dairy, meat, skins and hides)
· non-food crops (including fodder, fibres and flowers)
Eligible projects for funding
The following are examples of eligible projects.
Processing agricultural products
· potatoes to crisps
· milk to cheese
· wool to yarn
Adding value to agricultural products
· washing
· sorting
· grading
· topping and tailing
· dicing or cutting
· bottling
· packing
· second-stage grain processing (for example, colour sorting, blending)
Retailing
· buildings for retail sales
· display and retail equipment, for example, cabinets and tills
· automatic vending machines, for example milk vendors
These are a lower priority as they are not directly adding value to an agricultural product and will score lower than higher priority items.
How much money you can apply for
The minimum grant you can apply for is £25,000 (40% of £62,500). The maximum grant for adding value is £300,000 (40% of £ 750,000) per applicant business.
How to apply
Stage 1: To check if you’re eligible and how well your project fits the funding priorities using an online checker (Available June 2022) - your ‘online application’.
Stage 2: If you’re eligible and your project scores well enough against the funding priorities, you’ll get an application form and project number to make a ‘full application’. Forms and supporting documents including three years accounts.
For more details contact me on ajs@esusagri.co.uk