Guidance

Calf Housing for Health and Welfare grant round 1 specifications

Updated 27 November 2024

Applies to England

Only invited applicants can apply for round 1 of the Calf Housing for Health and Welfare grant.

Find out about other grants and funds. 

This guidance explains the required specifications for projects funded in the Calf Housing for Health and Welfare grant. You should read this guidance before you apply to make sure your project is eligible.

1. What the grant can pay for

The grant can pay for capital costs to build new, or upgrade existing buildings to house calves such as:

• A-frame buildings with 4 walls
• mono-pitch buildings with 3 walls and one open side
• permanent open-sided structures with igloos or hutches
• other types of permanent non-movable building that do not fit the above categories

The building must be a permanent non-movable building, securely attached to a foundation, intended for use for a minimum of 5 years.

All projects must meet the legal requirements for calf housing. This grant offers funding to help farmers deliver higher standards for health and welfare and is not intended to help meet the minimum standards.

1.1 Project requirements

To be eligible for funding, your project must meet all requirements.

Calves must not be kept individually from 7 days old. There are exceptional circumstances which allow calves to be kept in isolation on the advice of a veterinary professional, or where there are no other calves of a similar age.

The building must be designed to maintain a suitable ambient environment for the calves. Read the Ambient environment section for more information.

Calves must not share an airspace with, or be downwind of, older cattle (over 6 months old). This includes buildings and areas intended for older cattle such as:

• cattle accommodation
• feeding areas
• milking parlours
• collecting yards
• outdoor housing systems such as feedlots or corrals and outwintering pads

2. Calf housing specifications

Calf housing must also:

• have a minimum floor area of 3 square metres (m²) per calf for calves under 100 kilograms (kg), 4m² per calf for calves between 100kg and 150kg, and 5m² per calf for calves heavier than 150kg - the floor area includes the bedded laying area, standing area and feeding and drinking areas
• have solid, concrete flooring
• include sloped flooring with a 1 in 20 (5%) gradient in bedded areas, which slopes towards a drain or drainage channel. Under-bedding drainage channels may also be included
• have cereal straw bedding
• have permanent external calf height walls or barriers to protect from draughts - these must measure at least 1.2 metres (m) high but may be higher depending on the size of calves and depth of bedding
• include at least one enrichment item for every pair or group of calves to provide for the physical and psychological wellbeing of the calf, such as hanging balls or brushes
• include temperature and humidity sensor data loggers capable of autonomously recording data over a defined period and storing data so it can be viewed after it has been recorded
• have fitted, artificial lighting at a minimum of 50 lumen for each square metre (lux)
• include at least 2 waterproof IP66 electrical sockets, 1 located at each end of the building
• have facilities within the building to temporarily isolate sick calves (for example, a temporary pen erected in an existing pen to isolate a sick calf)

2.1 Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels

Buildings must have a roof that is designed to support solar PV panels, for installation as part of the project or in the future, unless:

• an existing building is being upgraded, and would not otherwise make changes to the current roof
• the only roof faces due north
• the roof does not have 20m² of clear roof space
• the roof is heavily shaded
• the roof has a pitch less than 15 degrees or greater than 50 degrees
• the building is listed or situated on a world heritage site

Only PV panels on the new or upgraded calf house are eligible for funding.

3. Ambient environment

You need to design the housing to ensure suitable protection and ventilation for calves. You need to consider the building location and if the calf housing is:

• sheltered: protected from wind from all directions by sheltering features such as other buildings, walls, hedges within close proximity, resulting in slow air movement speeds
• semi-sheltered: protected from wind on at least the prevailing wind side (but not on all sides) by sheltering features
• exposed: exposed to the wind on all sides with no sheltering features, resulting in high windspeeds

Buildings must meet the requirements for each site location.

You should also consider the recommendations to help achieve a suitable ambient environment. It is possible to apply for a project that does not meet these recommendations and you will be able to explain your reasoning for the chosen design at the Ambient Environment Assessment stage.

3.1 A-frame building

This section sets out the requirements and recommendations for an A-frame building with 4 walls in each site location.

Sheltered site

The building must have Positive Pressure Tube Ventilation (PPTV) with a capacity per hour of at least 4 times the volume of the building, drawing air in from outside the building.

It is recommended that the building has:

• a minimum inlet area for every long wall of 0.04m²per calf
• a minimum roof outlet area of 0.04m² per calf (typically a covered open ridge design)

Semi-sheltered site

The building’s long side wall must face the prevailing wind.

It is recommended that the building has:

• PPTV with a capacity per hour of at least 4 times the volume of the building, drawing air in from outside the building
• a minimum inlet area for every long wall of 0.04m² per calf
• a minimum roof outlet area of 0.04m² per calf (typically a covered open ridge design)

Exposed site

The building must have PPTV with a capacity per hour of at least 4 times the volume of the building, drawing air in from outside the building if either:

• the gable end faces prevailing wind
• calves below weaning age will be housed

If the gable end faces prevailing wind, it must have Yorkshire boarding, consisting of:

• 2 rows of 6 inch boards
• a minimum 1 inch and maximum 2 inch gap between the boards
• a minimum 2 inch gap between the 2 rows

It is recommended that the building has:

• PPTV with a capacity per hour of at least 4 times the volume of the building, drawing air in from outside the building
• a minimum inlet area per long wall of 0.04m² per calf
• a minimum roof outlet area of 0.04m² per calf (typically a covered open ridge design)

3.2 Mono-pitch building

This section sets out the requirements and recommendations for a mono-pitch building with 3 walls and 1 open side in each site location.

Sheltered site

It is recommended that the building has PPTV with a capacity per hour of at least 4 times the volume of the building, drawing air in from outside the building.

Semi-sheltered site

The building’s enclosed back wall must face the prevailing wind.

Exposed site

The building’s enclosed back wall must face the prevailing wind.

It is recommended that the building has:

• a minimum inlet area for every long wall of 0.04m² per calf
• Yorkshire boarding
• a minimum of 1m overhang on the open front wall
• a windbreaker

3.3 Permanent open-sided structures with igloos or hutches

This section sets out the requirements and recommendations for a permanent open-sided structure with igloos or hutches in each site location.

Sheltered site

The roof must cover the external straw area with at least 1m overhang.

Semi-sheltered site

The roof must cover the external straw area with at least 1m overhang.

It is recommended that the permanent open-sided structure has the igloo or hutch oriented so openings do not face the prevailing wind.

Exposed site

Permanent open-sided structures with igloos or hutches are not appropriate for exposed locations.

3.4 Other types of permanent non-movable building

Other building types should also provide suitable protection and ventilation for calves in the proposed location and this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

4. Eligible costs

The grant can pay for:

• structures including floors, walls, roofs, reinforcements, drainage
• fixtures including pens, ventilation, feeders, washing facilities
• fittings including temperature and humidity loggers, heat lamps, enrichment items
• delivery and installation of eligible capital items
• rooftop mounted PV solar panels, only where installed on the new or upgraded calf housing
• supporting equipment and structures for PV solar panels installed on the new or upgraded calf housing, including solar racking, DC to AC power inverters, performance monitoring systems and storage, including solar batteries and grid connection costs
• one-off alterations to the electrical or water supply to adapted or upgraded buildings, to accommodate the installation of new equipment or drinking facilities
• upgrade of electricity supply

If you’re altering or upgrading the electricity supply, the eligible cost must be related to the project that will be undertaken. For example, if the project requires an additional 100 kilowatts (kW) of electrical supply and the new supply is 200kW, only half of the cost will be eligible. You will need to provide detailed evidence of the power requirement of the project in your full application.

4.1 Second-hand items

You can use the grant funding to buy second-hand items if the associated supplier quote includes a statement that the item:

• has not previously been purchased with public funding
• is fit for purpose
• does not cost more than an equivalent new item
• is expected to last for at least 5 years

4.2 Larger projects

If your calf housing is part of a larger building, the amount of grant funding you can receive will be decided pro rata based on the eligible costs of the calf housing part of your building.

You may also wish to increase the size of your herd as part of your project. However, the amount of funding you can receive will be decided pro rata based on your calf numbers over the previous year. We will fund 40% of the eligible costs that accommodate calf numbers consistent from the previous year.

5. What the grant cannot pay for

The following costs are not eligible for grant funding (this list is not exhaustive):

• non-permanent structures (except those specifically referenced in the stated design specification, such as calf hutches)
• tracks or pathways
• moveable items not in the minimum design specification (such as buckets)
• ongoing costs (such as straw bedding)

5.1 Agricultural business costs

The grant will not cover agricultural costs, such as:

• buildings or equipment used for growing, harvesting, storing, or processing arable or horticultural crops
• standard agricultural equipment and inputs, including animals and crops
• the cost of agricultural production rights and payment entitlements

5.2 General costs

The grant will not cover general costs, such as:

• projects that are carried out only to meet a legal requirement
• any costs incurred before the project start date shown in the grant funding agreement
• contingency costs
• the cost of getting any permissions, consents, or statutory requirements, such as planning permission
• legal costs
• revenue costs
• any items which have already had European Union (EU) or national funding, or intend to get national funding
• relocation costs – if the business is relocating as part of the project, it can only apply for the additional floor space, or additional machinery and equipment, installed by the project compared to the existing pre-project location and facilities
• costs associated with the provision of housing
• marketing and promotion

5.3 Buildings, land, and equipment costs

The grant will not cover buildings, land, and equipment costs, such as:

• repairs to existing buildings that will subsequently still not meet the higher standards required by the grant
• replacement of existing buildings that will subsequently still not meet the higher standards required by the grant
• repairs to equipment and machinery
• ongoing maintenance costs for buildings and equipment
• purchase of capital items that will not be on the asset register of the business 5 years after completion of the project
• purchase of land or buildings
• renewable heat and energy systems, except the PV solar panels and associated infrastructure mentioned above as eligible and required under the grant

5.4 Business running costs

The grant will not cover business running costs, such as:

• salaries and running costs of the business
• in-kind contributions (this means the value of donated work or services), such as the cost of using your own labour, vehicle, and office space
• recurring monthly or annual licence fees, subscriptions, and service charges
• computers, software, and printers used in the general running of the business, such as processing orders or accounts
• mobile phones

5.5 Financial costs

The grant will not cover financial costs, such as:

• bad debts
• advance payments
• insurance policy costs
• working capital
• financial charges, for example bank charges, fines, and interest
• costs connected with a leasing contract, such as a lessor’s margin, interest refinancing costs, overheads, and insurance charges
• reclaimable VAT
• pension provision