Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has announced that the fourth tranche of Tier 1 of the Farm Business Improvement Scheme – Capital (FBIS-C), has opened for applications on Tuesday 28th September 2022. 

This scheme closes for applications on Friday 11th November 2022 at 4pm.

 

Farm Business Improvement Grant Scheme – Capital Tier 1 – Tranche 4

 

Support Available:

£10 million has been allocated for this tranche of Tier 1 and it is designed to support smaller-scale investments that will improve the sustainability of farm businesses throughout NI.

The DAERA scheme will support the purchase of equipment and machinery, costing from £5,000 to £30,000, from a list of eligible items. The grant rate is up to 40% of eligible costs with the maximum grant available for a farm business set at £12,000.

 

Eligible Equipment and Reference Prices:

A full list of reference prices for eligible equipment can be found here

DAERA has advised farmers to carefully consider the options available and to only apply for what they need and what they can commit to financially without putting themselves under extra pressure.

A date has not yet been confirmed for opening a third tranche of Tier 2 of FBIS-Capital, which is designed to offer support to projects costing more than £30,000.

 

Points Based System:

Eligible applications will be scored against similar criteria used in its previous schemes, the points are given based on the following;

• Item theme band
• Value for money
• Online submission
• Age of applicant
• Educational attainment.

A minimum of 40 points must be obtained for the application to be eligible.

While farmers can submit an application on paper, it is advisable to use the online system if at all possible as marks are available for those who submit online. If using the online system, it will allow all applications to be assessed quicker therefore potentially speeding up the issuing of Letters of Offer.

For full details on the points system – see page 11 onwards on the following   “FBIS-C Explanatory Booklet”

Please note: A Category 1 Farm Business ID is required for all applicants to the FBIS Capital Scheme.

 

Farm Safe Assessment:

All applicants to the Scheme must complete the FarmSafeNet ‘Making it Safer’ risk assessment prior to the FBIS application. The applicant will be required to answer questions relating to their own farm on Slurry, Animals, Falls and Equipment (SAFE).

This is an online tool and it is available from the following link:   SAFE Assessment

 

Financial Letter of Support:

An Indication of Support letter from a bank or lending institution will be required at the application stage. You do not actually need to borrow the funds requested in the letter of support however it allows all parties, including the applicant, to have knowledge that they have funds readily available to buy the equipment in the claim before the 40% grant reimbursement. 

The template financial letter of support can be found here.

 

 

Click Here to Access the Online Application Form

 

Click Here for the Application Form Guidance

 

Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) About the Scheme

 

 

 

More information on eligibility and the application process can be found at the link below.

https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/farm-business-improvement-scheme