This week, the Animal Health and Welfare Grant decisions have started to be sent out to applicants. Successful applicants will be notified and can then move to item selection stage. In this article, we look at how to accept your successful grant offer, and how to choose the correct machine for the Farm Equipment and Technology Fund 2023.

Farming Equipment and Technology Fund

The grant is divided into two main sections, or themes. Applicants could have applied for either scheme, or for both.

• Productivity and Slurry items
• Animal Health and Welfare items

Historically, grant money was calculated on a percentage basis. In this case an item was set at a particular value, and the grant recipient was paid out a percentage based on this value. This tended to pose problems as items in a lot of cases were undervalued. This led to the percentage pay-out in the grant being much smaller than the items actual worth. In the case of the farming equipment and technology fund, all items are paid out on a flat rate. This means the grant recipient knows exactly how much he/she can expect to receive.

How to Accept Your Successful Grant Funding Agreement for Farm Equipment and Technology Fund 2023

If you are successful in your grant application, you’ll receive a grant funding agreement. You’ll need to accept this online using the online FETF AHW Acceptance portal. This can be found here

Simply follow the quick and easy steps within the portal to accept your funding.

Once complete, you can proceed to choosing your grant item. You will be given a delivery deadline. The unit must be paid for and on-farm before this. Due to the sometimes-high volumes of demand around grant decision times, its important to choose your items ASAP. Always ask the supplier for a delivery date, to determine when you can expect to receive it. This will reduce the stress of waiting on approaching deadlines.

Hoof Trimming Crushes Under the Animal Health and Welfare Scheme

The animal health and welfare theme offers a payment of £1918 for a ‘Specialist Foot Trimming Cattle Crush’ (Item FETF64). To qualify for the grant there are several standards a crush is expected to meet.

• Specially designed for foot trimming and not other purposes
• Internal width of 720mm
• Complete with head yoke, rotating rump bar and motorised winches
• Belly bands or support lifting strap.
• Fully galvanised or powder coated.
• Metal floors must have anti-slip rubber fitted.
• Wooden floors are not eligible.

Eko Hoofcare offer several grant eligible crushes to suit farm size and budget. The Ekochute range is highly adaptable and customisable to farm size. Therefore customers can choose from the minimum grant spec requirements to the fully automated Electro.

The Ten Napel Farmer Pro hydraulic unit is perfect for large farms with high volumes of cattle. It boasts power and full automation as well as a host of optional extras. As a result it minimises labour involved in foot trimming.

The specifications are clearly listed for grant aid for cattle hoof trimming crushes however, it’s important to look at factors to consider when buying a hoof trimming crush to ensure you’re making the right decision.

For more information or help and support, contact the Eko Hoofcare team on 078 4587 6633 or email info@ekohoofcare.com