gov.uk Countryside Productivity Scheme United Kingdom : European Agricultural fund for Rural Development

Name of the Organization : The European Agricultural fund for Rural Development
Type of Facility : Countryside Productivity Scheme
Country : United Kingdom

Website : https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/countryside-productivity-scheme#how-to-apply-for-grants

Countryside Productivity Scheme :

** Farmers, woodland owners and forestry contractors can apply for grants under the Countryside Productivity Scheme.

Related :  Government of United Kingdom Residential Support Scheme : www.statusin.org/24480.html

** The Countryside Productivity Scheme is part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).
** It’s administered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

Available grants :
** The grants available to applicants depend on the size and sector of their business.
** The table below lists the available grants and who they are for.

How to apply for grants
** This also explains how applications are assessed and what to do if an application is successful.

Who can apply
** Farmers, woodland owners and forestry contractors can apply for grants under the Countryside Productivity Scheme.
** If the business is a new limited company, it must be registered with Companies House to apply.

Definitions of terms :
For Countryside Productivity, a ‘farmer’ is a person, group of people, or business that does at least one of these on their holding :
** produces, rears or grows agricultural products – including harvesting, milking, breeding animals and keeping animals for farming purposes
** keeps some land in a state suitable for grazing or cultivation by keeping it clear of any scrub that can’t be grazed (sometimes known as ‘dense scrub’)
** For Countryside Productivity, these are known as ‘agricultural activities’.
** A ‘holding’ is all of the land a farmer manages and uses for agricultural activities in the UK.
** For most farmers, this is all of the land they should declare under their Single Business Identifier (SBI).
** A holding can have more than one County Parish Holding (CPH) number, as well as land in more than one location.

Who can’t apply :
The following cannot apply for grants under the Countryside Productivity Scheme :
** entities funded wholly or partly by public money, such as non-departmental public bodies, levy boards or farms owned and run by local authorities, unless they can show that the match funding they receive has not been derived from the exchequer or other public sources, including European funds
** government departments
** Producer Organisations under the Fresh Fruit & Vegetables Aid Scheme cannot receive a grant towards any items also funded by that Producer Organisation

Before applying :
** Work must not start on any part of a proposed project before the applicant has received an offer letter from RPA and signed and returned the offer letter.
** This includes ordering equipment or paying a deposit on it.
** Applicants should make sure they can afford to pay for the whole of their proposed project in the short term, as claims for the cost will be paid in arrears.

How much funding is available :
** A grant may cover up to 40% of the total eligible costs of the project. There are 2 types of grants: small grants and large grants.

Small grants :
** For small grants, funding of between £2,500 and £35,000 is available.
** One small grant can be used to apply for a range of small grant items.

Large grants :
** For large grants, funding of between £35,000 and £1,000,000 is available.
** Applicants can apply for a mix of large grant items in one application.
** Applications can only be for large grant items or small grant items – not a mix of both.

Costs that are not eligible for funding :
** standard agricultural equipment and inputs like animals and crops
** the cost of agricultural production rights and payment entitlements
** the cost of obtaining any obligatory consents, like planning permission
** anything that’s a standard industry obligation, like requirements of the Basic Payment Scheme
** any costs that are incurred before the date of the offer letter
** financial charges, such as interest, fines and maintenance costs
** reclaimable VAT
** any items for which the applicant already has or intends to receive EU or national funding
** projects which are required by law or to meet a legal requirement
** like for like replacements
** the applicant’s own labour
** costs of relocating an existing business
** costs connected with a leasing contract, such as a lessor’s margin, interest refinancing costs, overheads and insurance charges
** salaries and running costs (except for grants under the European Innovation Partnership)
** licence fees, subscriptions and service charges
** standard computer and mobile equipment