Time is now running out for farmers to apply to Defra for the Farming Ammonia Reduction Grant (FARG) Scheme with funding from the EU Exceptional Adjustment Aid Scheme. Farmers can apply for grants to buy equipment to cover their slurry stores to help farmers reduce ammonia emissions and protect stores from rainwater which dilutes the quality of slurry as a fertiliser.
Farmers wanting to apply for the grant scheme should visit GOV.UK and submit an application by Tuesday, 31 January 2017. The scheme is first come first served. Applicants will receive a free one-to-one on-farm advice visit to help them find the best ammonia reduction measures for their businesses.
NFU members interested in the grant scheme can find more information here: GOV.UK.
Following Defra's announcement of the FARG Scheme, we asked you to send through your questions for us to put to Defra. The answers we have recieved from Defra follow. If you have any further questions please send them to the Dairy Team.
Question 1: Why are rectangular/square slurry stores not eligible for a free standing cover?
Farmers are less likely to find a supplier of self-supporting covers for square or rectangular stores and therefore may encounter difficulties completing the capital work within the timeframe.
However, farmers with rectangular or square slurry stores (above and in-ground) can apply for a grant for a floating cover under this scheme.
Question 2: If a farmer applied on the 1st December when will he first have any contact from Natural England? Will they be informed that his application has arrived safely?
Natural England will acknowledge receipt of application forms. If an applicant doesn't receive an acknowledgement within 10 working days of submitting their form they should contact Natural England on 0208 0262018.
Question 3: Who are the farm advisers that will be used and when will they visit farmers?
The farm advice contractors are being selected through Natural England’s farm advice procurement framework. The procurement process will ensure the contract is awarded on the basis of value for money and appropriate skills. The successful contractor will be announced in due course. The visits will take place from the beginning of February 2017. Farm advisers will contact eligible applicants to arrange a visit at a mutually convenient time.
Question 4: What if the farmers does not agree with the adviser’s recommendation, can they request another adviser to visit the farm? Who will pay for the extra cost of advisers visiting farm?
Natural England has an appeals procedure. In the event of a dispute, Natural England will review what action needs to be taken. If an additional farm visit is deemed necessary by Natural England following the appeals procedure, the cost will be covered by Natural England. Farmers are free to bring in their own consultant/agent if they wish but would have to cover the cost of doing so.
Question 5: Will the advisers’ report be kept confidential or shared with RPA/ Defra?
The reports will be kept confidential between the applicant and farm adviser but the farm adviser will need to provide certain information following the visit to Natural England to allow them to administer, monitor and evaluate the scheme. This will include information about the store (type, date built, capacity, compliance with SSAFO), the applicant’s suitability for a grant (including type and size of cover), their recommendations to the farmer (e.g. how to improve slurry store condition/use, measures to reduce ammonia emissions) and photographs of existing stores to support any claims. An anonymised synopsis of this information will be provided to the Environment Agency and Defra to update their evidence on slurry stores in England and evaluate the scheme. NE will also review 3% of the reports for quality assurance purposes. Natural England will not report farmers who are not complaint with SSAFO to Defra/EA/RPA but farm advisers will be obliged to report any major pollution incidents to Natural England and the Environment Agency.
Question 6: How will agreement length (5 years) be measured? Will there be inspections in this period etc?
Natural England's IT CATCH system will record the grant agreement start date (ie. the date the offer letter is signed by the farmer). The agreement length will be 5 years from this date. During this period, RPA and NE will carry out inspections.
Question 7: Why the short application window? Will Defra reject applications received after 31st Jan?
We recognise that the application window is tight but we wanted to ensure that these funds were made available to farmers. Under the Exceptional Adjustment Aid scheme, the European Commission requires payments to be made no later than 30 September 2017. In order to administer the scheme within the short timescale and give farmers time to carry out the works, applications must be received by Natural England no later than 31 January 2017. If a farmer requires assistance to complete their form they should contact Natural England on 0208 0262018. Natural England will reject any applications received after 31 January 2017. If the scheme is oversubscribed, applications will be prioritised on a first come first served basis.
Question 8: What does registering the slurry store with the EA entail – is it a visit/ inspection?
Thank you for pointing this out. We will not be registering slurry stores with the Environment Agency as is currently stated in the guidance. This will be amended and republished shortly.
However, as set out in the guidance, applicants will be required to notify the Environment Agency 14 days prior to commencing any works.
Question 9: What happens if an adviser finds a slurry store that is not SSAFO compliant? Will these farms be reported to the EA?
During the visit, the farm adviser will provide an opinion on whether the slurry store is SSAFO compliant. The farmer will be notified during the visit and in the report. The farm adviser will also notify Natural England as this will be required to finalise the application process. Stores considered non-SSAFO compliant will not be eligible for a grant. The farm will not be reported to the Environment Agency but farm advisers will be obliged to report any major pollution incidents to Natural England and the Environment Agency. Natural England has an agreed protocol with suppliers of advice to deal with confidentiality and reporting.
Question 10: How long are these adviser visits likely to take (March-April is peak spring calving period on UK dairy farms and this is followed by silage harvesting) so farmers are likely to be extremely busy?
Visits will take place from the beginning of February. They will take approximately 4 hours but this will vary depending on the size of farm.
Question 11: All works must be completed by 31st July. Why is this deadline so early?
As mentioned above, under the Exceptional Adjustment Aid scheme we are required to make payments no later than 30 September 2017. To ensure we meet this deadline claims need to be submitted no later than 31 July 2017 to allow time for processing, for RPA to carry out inspections.