Applications open on 17 March and will close at midday on 28 April.
Three themes to apply for
There are three grant themes to apply for individually under the FETF 2026 offer:
Same name but look at the detail – some items and specifications in the 2026 FETF lists have changed from those in the 2025 offer and some equipment may no longer be eligible. Refer only to the 2026 FETF lists; this will set out the scoring protocols in more detail.
Each of these themes has a separate list of eligible items you can apply for funding towards.
You can only submit one grant funding application for each grant theme in 2026.
If you want to apply for more than one grant theme, you will need to apply under each relevant application for the relevant items.
Basis of funding
This grant offers funding to contribute to a specific list of equipment to increase productivity, boost environmental sustainability, better manage slurry and improve animal health and welfare. All eligible items bought under this scheme must meet the minimum specification set out in the scheme information. All items must be new or ex-display (as defined in the guidance). There is a list of what is not considered new or ex-display in the guidance.
You can buy an item with a higher specification, but you cannot buy items that do not meet the minimum specification.
You may apply for an item that you’ve applied for under previous FETF grants. The RPA may ask you to explain why you need this item again.
You must keep items that have been funded by FETF grants for five years from the date your claim was paid, and subject to the rules.
Competitive grants
The FETF 2026 grant is competitive, and you may not get a grant offer after applying for one or more of the three grant themes. The success of an application(s) is dependent on the:
- score an application achieves
- number and value of applications the RPA receives.
The RPA will allocate funding after all applications have been received and checked for eligibility and viability. Applications will then be scored, taking account of the number and variation of scores if more than one item is applied for.
The list of eligible items sets out the expected score for each item. Funding for each of the three grant themes will be allocated starting with the highest scoring applications until all funding is allocated. This will then set the minimum score that an application must meet to receive funding for each theme (also known as the minimum threshold).
In 2025 there were mechanisms in place to uplift scores for the three grant themes; these have been removed for 2026.
If your application falls below the scoring threshold and is unsuccessful for a grant theme application, the RPA will reject it for this 2026 offer. The RPA will confirm this in writing.
Funding available
The 2026 FETF offer has a budget of £50 million, which is split between £20m for the productivity theme, £10m for the slurry themes, and £20m for the animal health and welfare grant theme.
You can apply for grant contributions of 40% or 50% towards either:
- the average cost of the item as listed,
- or the actual cost paid if an item costs less than the average cost listed.
If your application is successful, you’ll receive a grant of:
- A minimum of £1,000 and a maximum of £25,000 towards productivity items.
- A minimum of £1,000 and a maximum of £25,000 towards slurry items.
- A minimum of £1,000 and a maximum of £25,000 towards animal health and welfare items.
This means the maximum grant amount is now £75,000 per farming business in total. A farmer can apply for one grant from each of the three themes.
The grant contribution does not cover the total cost of each item. It’s your responsibility to fund the remaining cost.
All businesses applying for a grant must be financially viable. The RPA will request a spotlight check. This is the government’s online automated due-diligence tool for grant management. The RPA will use this evidence to assess the current financial viability of your business. You may also be asked to provide an accountant’s certificate or equivalent.
Who is eligible?
The FETF 2026 offer is open to farmers, horticulturists and forestry owners. It is also open to contractors carrying out services to farmers, horticulturalists or forestry owners. Some types of livestock are not eligible for this support.
Those wishing to apply need to be registered with the RPA’s Rural Payments service and have an SBI (single business identifier). It's important to check the information you have given the RPA as this is used for communicating with you about the scheme. You will also need to be registered with the separate Farming Investment Service. Please read the guidance on the use of SBI numbers.
If you were successful and received funding in FETF 2024 or 2025, you can still apply for FETF 2026.
You can apply for any theme or all three, for any of the eligible items that best suit your business.
Eligible items
There are more than 290 eligible items of equipment under FETF 2026 split across:
- 17 items of slurry equipment.
- 70 items of equipment for improving productivity.
- 203 items to promote animal health and welfare.
If successful with an FETF application and having agreed to a grant funding agreement offer, items must be paid for in full before a claim can be made. All grant purchases must be through a supplier or manufacturer; these cannot be linked to your business, and they cannot be home built equipment.
Grants are awarded through the FETF based on the overall score of your application per grant.
These scores can be found on the individual annexes for each theme below:
- GOV.UK | Productivity items and specifications.
- GOV.UK | Slurry items and specifications.
- GOV.UK | Animal health and welfare items.
As with previous schemes, where a theme is oversubscribed, the RPA will allocate funding to those items (or the average for a combination of items) applied for with the highest score first. Therefore, there is no guarantee that funding will be forthcoming for all or any of the applications made due to the competitive nature of the scheme.
Improving productivity items
Grants for items under the improving productivity list are available for the following categories:
- arable
- forestry
- general
- horticulture
- livestock
- resource and energy management
- water and irrigation management.
The productivity offer now contains 70 items, covering a variety of sectors and aims to improve your business productivity.
Applications for productivity items are scored on:
- productivity benefit
- environmental benefit
- level of adoption by the industry.
The scoring system for these items operates in the same manner as the slurry theme and is set out in the item lists. The grant contribution rates for productivity items are either at 40% or 50%.
Slurry management
Grants for items on the slurry management list are available to farmers or contractors in the following sectors:
- slurry collection and storage
- slurry testing
- slurry application.
There are now 17 items available for slurry management included in the 2026 offer.
Applications for slurry items are scored on:
- improving slurry management
- environmental benefit
- level of adoption by the industry.
The scoring system for these items operates in the same manner as the productivity theme and is set out in the item lists. The grant contribution rate for slurry items is at 50%.
Animal health and welfare
The animal health and welfare grant is only available if you farm any of the following:
- beef cattle
- dairy cattle
- sheep
- pigs
- poultry – laying chickens and broiler chickens (for both including rearing and breeding farms).
The scoring approach and calculations for animal health and welfare items is different to the two other grant themes; this is set out in the guidance. The grant contribution rate for these items is at 50%.
Which items are not eligible?
If the equipment you want is not listed, or does not meet the minimum specification, it is not eligible for this grant.
Only brand new or ex-display items can be funded through the FETF. Ex-demo, second hand and ‘try before you buy’ items are not eligible for this grant. Part exchange, hire purchase or lease items will also not be available under this grant.
It is important to read the FETF 2026 specifications carefully, as some may have changed since FETF 2025 due to the entire grant offering having been reviewed.
Key deadlines
Applying
The FETF 2026 offer will be available through a single application window in 2026.
This application window will open on 17 March and close at midday on 28 April 2026. This is for all three grant themes. You’ll receive an acknowledgement email within 24 hours of applying – you may need to check your spam folder for emails about your application.
When the application window is open, applicants will need to use the RPA’s Farming Investment Fund application service to apply for FETF grants. You will need to register for the service to apply.
Take a look at the guidance for how to apply now and especially the availability of items and how deposits work if you choose that approach, and check that you are correctly registered with the RPA.
An application can be saved and changes made to it before it is submitted. However, you cannot change your application after you’ve submitted it. An application can be withdrawn but, if you withdraw your application after you submit it, you cannot submit another application for the same grant theme.
Claiming
The RPA has said the claim submission deadlines for FETF 2026 will be midday on midday on 20 January 2027 for those successful applicants who receive a GFA (Grant Funding Agreement).
You’ll need to submit a separate claim for each GFA after you’ve paid for and received all the items in that GFA.
Read the guidance carefully on what to do if your application(s) are successful.
