A further £74 million is being made available to help farmers invest in improved slurry infrastructure to tackle water pollution, improve air quality, and make better use of organic nutrients, the government announced last week.
Applications are now open for the second round of the Slurry Infrastructure Grant which forms part of a total £200 million being invested in infrastructure and equipment to tackle agricultural pollution from slurry over the agricultural transition period.
The second round has more than double the funding on offer than the first round of the scheme to help meet increased demand. Based on feedback from farmers, several improvements are being made to the scheme, including how much storage pig farms can apply for, offering grants towards a slurry separator, and the option to retrofit covers onto existing stores.
Under the Slurry Infrastructure Grant, farmers can apply for grants of £25,000 to £250,000 to replace, expand, build extra, and cover slurry stores, and fund equipment such as separators, reception pits and agitators.
The grant forms a key component of the government’s Plan for Water which sets out more investment, stronger regulation, and tougher enforcement to tackle every source of water pollution. It also delivers on vital commitments under the Environmental Improvement Plan to reduce air pollution, halt biodiversity decline, and support recovery of protected sites.
See: £74m investment to reduce water and air pollution from slurry - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)