How to submit an Improving Farm Productivity grant round 2 full application (invited applicants)

Question 1

Differences from Improving Farm Productivity grant Round 1

Accepted Answer

The forms and guidance for the Improving Farm Productivity grant Round 2 are different to the forms and guidance used for Round 1. Always use links to the current guidance on the relevant scheme page rather than any copies you may have previously saved.

Applications submitted on Improving Farm Productivity grant Round 1 application forms will not be accepted.

Question 2

How to register on the Rural Payments service

Accepted Answer

Make sure that your business is registered with the Rural Payments service and has a Single Business Identifier (SBI). The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) can’t accept your application without this.

If you are not yet registered in the Rural Payments service, please call our helpline on 03000 200 301 and select the options to speak to the Rural Payments team. For information on how we handle personal data, read the Rural Payments Agency personal information charter.

Question 3

Check your records in the Rural Payments service

Accepted Answer

Your application details must match your records in the Rural Payments service. If they do not, follow the guidance to update your records.

These details must be up to date:

email address
business name
business postcode
full name
permissions

To check these in the Rural Payments service, you will need to find your main SBI and your Customer Reference Number (CRN). If you get other payments from us, like the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), you will find your SBI on any letters you have had from us.

To find out how to find your CRN in the Rural Payments service, call the Rural Payments helpline on 03000 200 301.

Question 4

Make your full application

Accepted Answer

You will need to fill in 2 forms to make your application:

a Microsoft Word application form
a Microsoft Excel appendix spreadsheet

Only fill in the application form and spreadsheet provided, as we cannot accept information in any other format.

Complete the whole form and give full and clear answers to make your application strong. Your project forecast should be realistic to achieve.

If you are applying for both a Farm Productivity grant and a Solar grant, you will need to submit a separate full application for each project. We will send you separate invitation emails, forms and project reference numbers.

When to apply

You can apply any time before 23:59 on 31 July 2025. If this deadline changes, we will publish the details on GOV.UK.

We can’t accept any application that misses the published deadline.

Do not send your application before you have all the information you need, as we can’t accept an incomplete application.

You must sign and return your Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) before you start your project.

If your project requires planning permission, you must have this in place before you submit your full application form.

Submit your application

Save your completed application form as a Microsoft Word document and your appendix spreadsheet as a Microsoft Excel document in the 97-2003 Workbook (.xls) format.

If you don’t have Microsoft Excel, you can use free Open Office software to complete the application appendix, as long as you save it in the Microsoft Excel (.xls) format.

To do this:

select ‘Save as’ when saving the appendix spreadsheet - the ‘Save as’ box will open
select the format for the document in the ‘Save as type’ box. Select the format type Microsoft Excel 97/2000/XP/2003 (.xls)
click ‘Save’
a dialog box may open asking you to ‘Confirm file format’ - if that happens, select ‘Confirm’

Attach the documents to an email and send it to FTF@rpa.gov.uk from the email address you give us in Section 1 of the application form.

If an agent or consultant sends the form for you, they must copy you into the email, using the email address you give us in Section 1.

The email addresses used to submit the application must match with those held in the Rural Payments service, with permission to make legal changes or full permissions for the applicant business. If they don’t, we can’t accept the application.

Sending supporting documents

You need to attach all supporting documents to the email you send with your application forms. You need to submit each supporting document as a separate attachment. Please do not send them in a single PDF document.

Please do not send them by post or save your documents in online storage systems with links to access them.

Emails should be a maximum of 20MB. You may need to send several smaller emails. If you do, number each email, for example ‘Project reference number: application 1 of 3’.

Your project reference number will be on the email we send to you inviting you to submit a full application.

If you have any problems completing the full application or appendix form, contact our helpline on 03000 200 301 and select the option for the Farming Transformation Fund.

Permissions in the Rural Payments service

You can give other people access to your business in the Rural Payments service. You must have ‘Full permissions’ and the other person must be registered to give them access to your business details on the Rural Payments service. This is linked to the CRN number.

If you are an agent applying on behalf of a customer, or you are not the customer registered on Rural Payments, you must have permission to make legal changes or have full permissions for the business in Rural Payments.

Read guidance on updating your details in the Rural Payments service.

Question 5

How to fill in your full application form

Accepted Answer

Fill in every section on the form unless the instructions say you can either type ‘N/A’ or move to the next question.

Section 1: Applicant details

Provide details of the business or organisation applying for the grant. This should be the same business invited to submit a full application.

If you’re filling out this form on behalf of a business or organisation where you are not the owner, you should be a director or partner.

Question 1.1

Enter the project reference number from the top of your ‘invitation to submit a full application’ email. If you are making more than one application, make sure you use the correct project reference number assigned to your project.

Question 1.1a

Select ‘Farm Productivity’ or ‘Solar’ as your answer from the drop-down list to confirm the Improving Farm Productivity theme you are applying for.

Question 1.2

Tell us the full name of your business or organisation. This is the name used on your annual financial accounts and your business bank account. It is also the name of the business or organisation that is registered with us on the Rural Payments service.

Question 1.3

Enter your SBI number here. You must make sure that the SBI number and business details registered with us on the Rural Payments service match with the SBI number, applicant business name, applicant name, applicant email address, address and postcode entered on the application form. If they do not, we will not be able to process your application.

Question 1.4

Enter the full address of the applicant business. If there is more than one address, it should be the address that all postal correspondence should be sent to.

Question 1.5

Enter your first name and surname. The applicant is normally the owner, a director or partner of the applicant business. The applicant’s name on the application form must match with the name registered on the Rural Payments service for the applicant business. The applicant must be someone with permission to make legal changes or full permissions for the business on the Rural Payments service.

Question 1.5a

Select your answer from the drop-down list.

Question 1.6

Enter the email address we should use to contact you if we have any queries about your application. Provide an address that you check regularly as we will use email as our main way of contacting you. This should be your own email address and not the one for your agent or manager, which you can give at Section 2.

Question 1.7

Enter your mobile phone number in case we need to speak to you.

Question 1.8

Enter your business phone number. It’s helpful for us to have 2 different contact numbers should we need them.

Question 1.9

We gathered some information from you when you used the online checker. Review the answers you gave about the legal status of the business, business activity and business name. These will be in the email you received after submitting your details.

If you select ‘no’ from the drop-down list to this question, you’re confirming that the answers you gave in the online application to all these questions have not changed.

If you select ‘yes’, you are confirming that one or more of the answers you gave in the online application to these questions have changed or are incorrect.

Question 1.9a

If your answer at 1.9 is ‘yes’, tell us of the changes to the application business details since you completed the online application. The comments boxes throughout the form will expand as you write your answer.

If there have been a lot or big changes to any of the applicant business details which have not already been discussed and agreed with the Grants Service team, your project may no longer be eligible.

Question 1.10

Enter the most recent business turnover, balance sheet total (the total of all assets), and the financial year end date. If the business is less than one financial year old and has not filed any financial accounts yet, you can leave this blank.

We require the last 3 consecutive and most recent years of full audited or unaudited accounts.

You need to make sure that you send a full set of accounts, including profit and loss, balance sheet, the cover title and introduction pages. Include the pages which disclose all the notes to the accounts if there are any. We cannot accept ‘abbreviated accounts’.

Email your business accounts as PDF documents if you can.

Use the comments box in the Supporting Documents Checklist on the application form to tell us if your business accounts do not meet these requirements. For example, some small businesses may not produce full sets of accounts, but we’d still expect to see a profit and loss and balance sheet summary.

We cannot accept ‘abridged accounts’ from small or micro companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) as they do not contain the information on turnover that we need to assess eligibility and financial viability. If you produce ‘abridged accounts’, you need to provide a statement with them which shows turnover, cost of sales and direct costs and gross profit for the 3 most recent accounting periods. This statement must be endorsed by an independent and suitably qualified accountant.

If you’re a new business (you have not yet started trading or have been trading for less than 2 years) or are self-employed, explain how you will have the financial capacity to successfully deliver the project. This will need to be evidenced by one or more of the following supporting documents:

latest tax returns
an opening statement from a professionally qualified independent accountant that includes planned financing (loans or equity invested into the business), expected income and operating expenses
draft financial statements or management accounts showing financial performance during the early period of trading

Question 1.11

We need to know if your business is linked to other businesses, to understand the structure and size of the business applying.

Businesses are considered as linked when:

one business holds a majority of the shareholders’ or members’ voting rights in another business
one business is entitled to appoint or remove a majority of the administrative, management or supervisory body of another
a contract between the business, or a provision in the memorandum or articles of association of one of the businesses, enables one to exercise a dominant influence over the other
one business is able, by agreement, to exercise sole control over a majority of shareholders’ or members’ voting rights in another

Businesses can also be linked through ownership by individuals, such as partners or through shareholding. Where this type of ownership is through one or more individuals who could work together, the enterprises involved are considered as linked if they operate on the same or adjacent markets. Family links are enough to show that individuals are working together.

If you are unsure if there is a link between the applicant business and any others, you should call our helpline on 03000 200 301 and select the option for the Farming Transformation Fund.

Question 1.11a

If your answer at 1.11 is ‘yes’, please tell us the name of any linked businesses.

You must send us the most recent 3 years of consecutive full audited or unaudited accounts for all linked businesses. If you are part of a group structure (a parent or subsidiary company) you must also provide consolidated group accounts.

Question 1.12

Using the drop-down box, tell us if your business or organisation has any related or linked businesses in Northern Ireland. You can only use this grant funding for business operations in England. You must not cross-subsidise any related, linked, parent, subsidiary, partnership, joint venture businesses or operations based in Northern Ireland.

Question 1.12a

If your answer at 1.12 is ‘yes’, please provide the details of the businesses or operations.

Question 1.13

Select from the drop-down box to tell us if your business is part of a fruit and vegetable producer organisation (PO).

Question 1.13a

If your answer at 1.13 is ‘yes’, enter the name of the PO of which you are a member. If your business is receiving funds from the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme for this project, we will not be able to offer you an Improving Farm Productivity grant.

Question 1.14

Complete the drop-down boxes to provide information on the business principals, selecting either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (business principals means any business owner, partner or director). If you answer ‘no’ to all 4 questions, go to Section 2.

Question 1.14a

If your answer at 1.14 is ‘yes’, provide more details in the box provided. This will not automatically mean that you won’t get a grant.

Section 2: Agent details

Question 2.1

Use the drop-down box to tell us if you have used an agent, consultant or business manager to help complete your application. Please provide their details at Questions 2.2 to 2.7.

Questions 2.2 - 2.7

Provide their contact details.

Your agent must have permission to make legal changes or full permissions for the applicant business as detailed on the Rural Payments service.

Section 3: Business details

Question 3.1

Select one of the options that best represents the legal status of the business or organisation.

Question 3.2

Select the best fit for your main business activity from the drop-down list. This grant is for agricultural and horticultural businesses where the project activity is in England, and contractors who are defined as a business (including a sole trader) that carry out an agricultural or horticultural activity as a service, where their registered business address is in England.

Question 3.3

Select an answer from the drop-down list. Select ‘yes’ if the applicant business has been trading for less than 2 years, or if it is not trading yet.

Question 3.4

Enter the Companies House, VAT registration and Registered Charity numbers if the applicant business has them. If not, write ‘N/A’ in the boxes.

Section 4: Project overview

Question 4.1

Enter the name of your project. This should be the same as the project name you give on the online application and recorded in the confirmation email you received. Your full application should be the same project as the one you outlined in your online application.

The project name will be included in correspondence and in any publicity.

Question 4.2

We need to know your project timescales. Select your proposed start date and completion date of the project from the drop-down boxes.

The start date is when you intend to begin work on your project and incur eligible costs. Remember to allow at least 3 months after you submit your full application, to allow time for the appraisal and decision-making process.

The project completion date is when you’ll have finished your project, incurred all costs and submitted your final grant claim.

To work out your projected timescales at this stage, use information from your suppliers or contractors to help you work out how long it will take for you to complete the project works, including the purchase and installation of the equipment.

Once you know when the project is likely to be finished, build in additional time to pay all the invoices, prepare, and submit your grant claim.

You should be realistic in how long the project will take and not underestimate this. You need to be cautious with your timescales, rather than over optimistic.

Question 4.3

This grant is for businesses where the project activity is in England. We need to know the location of the project so we can check the project is eligible.

If the project is at a different place to the address you gave at question 1.4, give the full address details here, including the county and postcode. If you do not know the exact postcode for the land where your project is located, please provide the postcode for the nearest address and explain this in the application form. If your project has multiple locations and addresses, provide the details of all of these. You may find it helpful to identify the project locations on a map and submit this with your application.

Contractors can apply for a Farm Productivity grant if they have a registered business address in England. Contractors are defined as a business (including a sole trader) that carries out an agricultural or horticultural activity as a service but are not actively running their own farming or horticulture business. If you are a contractor, please enter ‘contractor’.

Contractors cannot apply for a Solar grant.

Question 4.4

We want to understand how your business started, how it has grown and how and why you have identified the proposed project. Tell us how this project fits with your future plans.

If your business is not yet trading or has been trading for less than 2 years, explain the reason you started the business, the business structure and what stage it is at in terms of trading history, size and potential growth.

Try to use no more than 200 words in your answer.

For example: “We have been farming here since 1936. The farm has been passed down through the generations. It started as a mixed livestock farm and vegetables for the local market. Although we still have some livestock our focus has changed to the higher value returns from vegetables and field scale soft fruit.

We currently farm 47 hectares with 4 permanent employees and 8 seasonal workers although it is getting increasingly difficult to source seasonal workers.”

Question 4.5

Tell us more to help us understand the nature of the project. Describe how the equipment will be used in your business and how you think it will benefit the business. Try to use no more than 200 words in your answer.

The project you are applying for must be the same as the one you described in the online application. If there have been minor changes to the project, you can tell us about these at question 5.11.

For example: “We have been struggling to find people to do the work that the robotic weeders can do, such as weeding around the vegetable plants. The robotic weeders will reduce the need for 8 workers during the growing season, addressing the issue of being able to consistently find labour. Currently the demand for vegetables is more than we can produce. We anticipate being able to increase the area of vegetables we grow as a result of the robotic weeders and know that the market demand is there. Our research and forecasts indicate we will make significant savings on fossil fuel, herbicides, pesticides and insecticides. The business will make financial savings and will be less reliant on labour.”

Section 5: Project costs, funding, and quotes

You should fill in tab B ‘Costs & suppliers’ and tab C ‘Funding & claims’ in the application appendix spreadsheet before answering these questions. Use the figures from the Project cost summary table in tab C to fill in this section.

You must make sure the figures are exactly the same on the full application (Word) form and the appendix (Excel) spreadsheet.

Question 5.1

Enter the total project cost in £ to 2 decimal places, for example, £200,000.00. This is the estimated total eligible expenditure (costs) for your project that you are applying for grant funding for. It should not include other costs that you have identified as ‘non-grant funded expenditure’ at question 5.5.

This should be the total net cost, unless your business is unable to reclaim full VAT and you wish to include VAT in your grant request. For further guidance on VAT, see question 5.7.

Question 5.2

Tell us how much grant you are applying for in £ to 2 decimal places, for example, £65,000.00.

For a Farm Productivity grant, the minimum grant you can apply for is £25,000 (50% of £50,000). The maximum grant is £500,000 per applicant business per round of funding.

For a Solar grant, the minimum grant you can apply for is £15,000 (25% of £60,000). The maximum grant is £100,000 per applicant business per round of funding.

If you are applying for both a Farm Productivity grant and a Solar grant, the maximum grant is £500,000 in total per applicant business.

Question 5.3

Enter the total amount of private match funding required for the project in £ (grant funded expenditure only). The maximum grant you can apply for is 50% of the eligible costs of your project for Farm Productivity grants and 25% for Solar grants. You need to fund the remaining project costs with private money, such as business savings, a bank loan or overdraft.

You cannot use public money (other grant funding from government or local authorities) as match funding.

Question 5.4

Tell us the sources of your private match funding. This might be from your own business funds, a bank loan, an overdraft, a personal loan from family or friends, a director’s loan, own savings, or a combination. You can also use a loan from your landlord, including Local Authority landlords.

Enter the amount of private match funding in £ in the relevant box for all project funding sources you’ve secured or have conditional agreement for (for example, subject to the grant being awarded for the project). If you select ‘other’, please tell us about the funding source in the box provided.

You need to provide evidence of the match funding with your application. This could be an email, letter or copy of the commercial loan agreement, which needs to show:

where the funding is coming from (a named person or organisation)
how much the funding is for (the amount is enough to fund the project)
who the funding is being offered to
the date of the offer

If you are funding the project from other sources, such as own savings, personal loans from family or friends, director’s loans, or cash reserves within the business, you also need to be able to show where it is coming from. For example, this could be a bank or building society statement that shows the funds are available to the business. If the funding for the project is part of a larger mortgage or loan, please explain how you will be able to use this and show that there are enough funds available for the project.

If you buy an item for the project using lease or hire purchase, you must own the item outright before you can claim any money towards it. This means that before you submit your claim you need to have paid all the instalments and show that you fully own it.

Question 5.5

Enter the cost of non-grant funded expenditure in £. These are costs that you are not applying for grant funding for, but are still required and essential as part of your project. For example, a new feed storage area for livestock as part of a robotic feeding system application.

Question 5.5a

Tell us how you’ll cover any non-grant funded expenditure. These costs will need to be met by the business.

Question 5.6

Grant funding is paid in arrears at agreed stages. You can make a maximum of 3 claims over the course of the project.

Explain how you will make sure there is enough funding in place to pay the project costs in full before each grant claim is submitted, allowing time for claims to be processed and paid. For example, there may be headroom within your overdraft or normal business cash flow.

Question 5.7

Where VAT can be recovered from HMRC, it should not be included in your project costs. Explain here if you have included VAT in your project costs and why it is not recoverable. This would normally be if your business is not VAT registered.

If you are including VAT in your project costs and grant request, you will need to provide a letter from a professionally qualified independent accountant to confirm that you are not VAT registered.

A professionally qualified accountant is defined as a member of:

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) or the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB) constituent bodies
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS)
Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI)

Use the table below to help you decide if you can include VAT in your project costs or not.

VAT status	Outcome
You are registered for VAT and making regular returns of VAT to HMRC	You will not be able to include VAT in your project costs or grant request because it is recoverable in full on VAT returns
You are not registered for VAT because your business is below the threshold for supplies	You will be able to include VAT in your project costs and grant request provided this status can be verified by RPA with your full application
You are not registered for VAT because you opted to join the agricultural flat rate scheme instead	You will not be able to include VAT in your project costs or grant request because the flat rate scheme you have chosen to join is a simplification instead of registering for VAT. The terms of the scheme mean that you receive compensation for not being able to recover VAT paid by your business by retaining a flat rate addition (FRA) added to sales invoices in respect of supplies made to VAT registered customers
You are registered for VAT but you have also opted to join a flat rate scheme	You will not be able to include VAT in your project costs or grant request because the flat rate scheme you have chosen to join is a simplification which compensates you for not being able to reclaim input VAT. In addition, you can reclaim input VAT on certain capital assets costing more than £2,000 through your VAT returns
You are registered for VAT and making exempt supplies meaning that not all VAT paid can be recovered on returns of VAT to HMRC	You will not be able to include VAT in your project costs or grant request because at the time of application you will only be able to estimate the non-recoverable VAT. The final position will only be known after the grant has been paid and your project is complete

Question 5.8

You need to provide the required number of quotes, tenders or references to catalogue listings for all items included in your application to show how you will get best value for it.

A quote is a fixed price for the item and the price charged by the supplier cannot increase. If suppliers are not prepared to provide quotes, you can get estimates from them instead. Note that the cost of the item can change if you are given an estimate. The guidance for estimates is the same as for quotes.

You need to provide details of all the evidence of costs on tab B ‘Costs and suppliers’ in the application appendix spreadsheet.

This table explains how many quotes, catalogue references and formal tenders are required, depending on the value of an item.

Value of items or service	How to show value for money
Less than £5,000	1 quote, or reference to 1 catalogue listing (including online suppliers)
£5,000-£50,000	3 quotes, or references to 3 catalogue listings (including online suppliers)
More than £50,000	3 quotes, or 3 formal competitive tenders* where required *These are viewed as quotes that suppliers put together within an identified timeframe and that follow a detailed and itemised specification provided by the applicant

You should be able to provide the necessary 3 quotes from different suppliers (these are not the same as different manufacturers). You can source these internationally as well as from inside the UK. You can only submit one quote from a supplier within the same franchise or supplier network and you must provide 2 additional quotes from different suppliers.

If you have not provided the required number of quotes, references to catalogue listings or tenders for any item included in your project costs, explain why. If there are no other suppliers available, either nationally or globally, you should provide written evidence (such as emails or letters) of ‘declines’ from at least 3 potential suppliers that you have approached.

You also need to explain how you have assessed that the cost of the item provides value for money and provide evidence of this with your application.

All quotes or tenders must:

come from different, independent suppliers who are not linked to each other or to your business through shared ownership or control
be sourced independently by you or your agent - a supplier cannot source quotes from other suppliers on your behalf
include a detailed and itemised breakdown of costs
include the supplier’s business name, address (including postcode) and telephone number
be comparable with each other in terms of quality, size, quantity, units and specification for every item
be dated and obtained within the last 9 months
be addressed to the applicant business or agent (containing the business name, business or project address, if different, and postcode) - if the quote is addressed to your agent, it must clearly reference the project and its location

If a quote is emailed to you from a supplier as an attachment you should also send the original covering email showing time, date and who sent it.

Any references to a catalogue listing must be sent as screen shots and they must include the:

date on which it was printed or copied
item description and the price
name of the company or catalogue
page number or webpage

All quotes, catalogue listings and tenders must be genuine and sourced from genuine suppliers who are actively trading. Checks will be carried out to make sure that quotes, catalogue listings and tenders submitted to support an application have not been made up or changed in any way.

We will also check that there has been no collusion between suppliers or between applicants or their agent or suppliers, in relation to supplying supporting quotes or tenders. Any attempt made to provide false or misleading information to us could lead to prosecution.

If the supplier is VAT registered and will be charging VAT, you need to provide the supplier’s VAT number, if it is not on the quote. If the supplier is a limited company, you must provide the company registration number, if it’s not on the quote. You should enter these on tab B ‘Costs and suppliers’ in the application appendix spreadsheet.

We check value for money by comparing all quotes in £ sterling. If you’re providing quotes in any other currency you will need to convert these to £ sterling in your application. You can use HMRC currency exchange rates for the conversion. If you are converting from other currency to £ sterling, please be aware that any fees including non-sterling transaction fees are not eligible for grant funding. You will need to exclude these from the value being converted.

If you are proposing to use a formal tendering process you must contact us to discuss this. We will make sure this is appropriate for your project and timescales. You need to send copies of the emails showing you contacted us about using a formal tendering process and it was agreed that you could.

If the quotes or tenders don’t meet the requirements you may need to submit revised quotes or tenders that do. We may remove the item from consideration if it is not supported by valid quotes or tenders.

We want applicants to use the best value quote. This means getting the best value on the market by using the cheapest supplier for each project item. We will base any grant on the value of the cheapest quote only. You can still use a more expensive supplier, but you will need to fund the difference in cost.

Questions 5.9 and 5.9a

Select ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as your answer from the drop-down option to confirm if you or your business is connected in any way or has an association with any of the businesses providing quotes for the project items.

If you answer ‘yes’ you need to identify the suppliers and explain the connection. This includes links through ownership as set out at question 1.11 or any other association, for example, if the supplier business is owned by a family member or by an employee of the applicant business.

It is important that you declare this to us. If you do not tell us about an association with a supplier, we may refuse funding.

Questions 5.10 and 5.10a

Select ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as your answer from the drop-down option to tell us if you plan to purchase any second-hand items for the project. If you answer ‘yes’ provide details of the project items that you plan to purchase and why you want to do this.

When you request quotes for second-hand items, you’ll need to ask the supplier to confirm the following points and provide a copy of the email or letter with your application:

the origin of the item and, if possible, confirmation that during the previous 7 years the item has not been purchased with public funding - if the supplier cannot confirm this, you should make your own enquiries and provide us with a declaration to confirm that to the best of your knowledge, the item has not previously been grant-funded
that the item meets health and safety legislation
that the item does not cost more than the market value for new equipment
that the item is operational and fit for the purpose of the project as described by you to them when you get the quote

You will need to confirm that the item specification is equal to or better than a new comparable version, that it meets the requirements of the project and that it is expected to last for the duration of any grant agreement that might be offered to you.

You will also need to confirm that the description given to the supplier was consistent with the purpose for the project as set out in your application (supply the email you send to all possible suppliers asking them to provide a quote that sets out what you want to use the item for).

If you cannot obtain the supplier confirmation with the quote, you need to explain why. You should provide other evidence that the item will meet the criteria as set out above. If you do not provide confirmation from the supplier that meets these requirements, we might not be able to accept the quote.

If your second-hand item is no longer available when we approve your application, you can make a request to use a different supplier. You will need to provide the confirmation from that supplier as set out above with the new quote.

You do not need to get all 3 quotes for second-hand items. You can submit one quote for the second-hand item and 2 further quotes for new items if the item details are similar and the cost of the second-hand item is cheaper than the cost of a new item. If the item cost is below £5,000 you will need to provide a further quote for a new item which is to the same specification.

Questions 5.11 and 5.11a

Review the answers you submitted to the online application. We sent you a confirmation email including your answers.

Select ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as your answer from the drop-down options to answer if the project details or its location have changed since you completed the online application.

If you select ‘no’ from the drop-down list to this question, you are confirming that the answers you gave to the online application are correct and unchanged.

If you select ‘yes’ from the drop-down list to this question, you’re confirming that one or more of the answers you gave to the online application is incorrect or has changed. Use the space in the application form to inform us of any changes to the answers you gave.

Some project details may have changed since you completed the online checker, such as changes to project costs. The overall details of the project described in this application should not be much different from those described in the online checker. You should discuss any changes with our Grants Service team before submitting your full application to make sure you can proceed.

If there have been significant changes to the project, and these have not already been discussed and agreed with us, this could affect your application’s eligibility for grant funding.

Section 6: Other funding

Question 6.1 and 6.1a

Tell us if you or your business have received or applied for any other public sector funding for previous Improving Farm Productivity activities or for other items for this project. Select your answer from the drop-down box. If ‘yes’, please give details in the table.

This includes funding from public sector organisations like your local authority, Big Lottery Fund, levy board funds or other Government grants including from Defra, Natural England, Forestry Commission and RPA.

It also includes EU funding, such as from the following schemes:

European Social Fund (ESF)
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)
European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF)
Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE)
Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF)
Forestry Commission
LEADER

You should include details of any other grant applications you have made and not yet heard the outcome.

You do not need to include Single Payment Scheme (SPS) or BPS payments.

Section 7: Permissions and consents

Question 7.1

Confirm whether the project will take place on land or in premises that are rented, leased, or tenanted, or whether the applicant business owns the land or premises.

Select your answer from the drop-down option.

For contractors, confirm whether the registered business is in premises that are rented, leased, or tenanted, or whether the applicant business owns the premises.

Select your answer from the drop-down option.

If the applicant business does not own the land or premises, you will need a rental or tenancy agreement with the owner. You’ll need to provide details of your rental, lease or tenancy agreement including end dates of the current agreement, where applicable.

Many limited company farming businesses do not own the land farmed. This is held outside the farming business, for example, by a trust or owned by individuals. Where the limited company farming business is the applicant, a rental or tenancy agreement will be required.

You do not need to send us a copy of the whole agreement, but we may ask for it in the future. We will need to see a copy of the sections showing the property address, tenant, landlord, signatures, and the tenancy term for fixed term arrangements.

If we approve your application and you have a fixed term arrangement that has less than 6 years to run, you’ll need to have a new agreement and provide a copy if requested.

If your tenancy arrangement ends and you need to terminate your GFA early as you are unable to meet the GFA conditions, you would need to repay some or all of the grant.

If you have an oral tenancy agreement, you need written evidence from your landlord confirming that you have security of tenure for at least 6 years. If you can’t do this then you can supply evidence of rent payments, estate correspondence, or other documentation such as subsidy claims that shows you have occupied the land or premises before 1 September 1995.

Question 7.1a

If the applicant business does not own the land or premises and has a fixed term arrangement that has less than 6 years to run, confirm whether you have asked your landlord to underwrite a GFA. Select your answer from the drop-down option.

Grant funding agreements run for 5 years after the final grant payment is made and the applicant business is responsible for the project for the duration of the GFA. If the applicant business has a fixed term arrangement that has less than 6 years to run and you expect your tenancy arrangement to continue, you can sign a GFA.

If your landlord agrees to underwrite your GFA, they are agreeing, in principle, to take over the GFA if your tenancy ends first. For example, by completing the conditions themselves or passing the agreement on to a new tenant.

If you want to ask your landlord to underwrite your GFA, email FTF@rpa.gov.uk to request a copy of the ‘Landlord – Farming Transformation Fund (FTF) grant underwriting form’. You must arrange for this to be completed by your landlord and you must submit it along with your full application.

This is optional, and you do not need to do it to sign a GFA.

Question 7.2

Select your answer from the drop-down options to confirm that you have planning permission for the project, or it is not required.

You may need planning permission to alter existing buildings or construct new buildings. The cost of the building alterations or construction are not eligible under this scheme. If a building is essential to the project, you need to make sure that you have any planning permission you need. This may be full planning permission or through prior notification.

You need to send a copy of the planning permission with your full application. This includes the full planning permission approval for the project from the Local Planning Authority (LPA) or a copy of their decision in respect of a prior notification application under permitted development.

We also need a copy of the plans and drawings that were approved as part of your planning permission. We’ll use these to confirm that these details match those in your application and to check that any specific requirements are met.

We cannot assess applications or commit funds to projects that are waiting for planning decisions. If you do not have planning consent for your project your application will be considered incomplete and withdrawn from the scheme.

Question 7.2a

Tell us the name of the LPA, the planning reference approval number, and the name of the planning website. We may need these to check the planning documents and plans on the LPA website.

For Solar grants, you should discuss your project with your LPA before preparing your full application. If you don’t need planning permission for your project, tell us why and provide written confirmation from your LPA. This could be a permitted development prior approval notification, an email, or a letter.

Question 7.3

Use the table in the application form to list any other permissions or consents needed for your project. For example, this could include an export agreement from the Direct Network Operator (DNO) to export surplus energy generated by the solar PV system into the network.

Section 8: Selection criteria

The information that you give in this section provides more detail about some of the entries in the application appendix spreadsheet. We will use these to help us assess how well your project meets the criteria for the Improving Farm Productivity grant Round 2. It is important that you answer each question as fully and clearly as possible, as lack of content may weaken your application.

The Improving Farm Productivity grant agreement lasts for 5 years from the final payment of any grant awarded. You will need to deliver your project activity, outputs and outcomes throughout this period.

Question 8.1 Improving Farm Productivity theme details

If your application is for a Farm Productivity grant, answer only questions 8.1.1 – 8.1.5. If your application is for a Solar grant, answer only questions 8.1.6 – 8.1.14.

The information you give provides more detail about some of the entries in the ‘Productivity details’ tab or the ‘Solar details’ tab of the application appendix spreadsheet.

We use this information to understand the project, and its potential impact, in more detail. These answers help explain what the project is doing, what it’s bringing to your business, and if there are any potential benefits.

Farm Productivity grant details

Question 8.1.1

Use this box to explain or clarify any of the information you have entered in the ‘Productivity details’ tab. For example, there may be additional manufacturer evidence surrounding your figures for reducing agrochemical usage that you want to explain further.

If you do not wish to add further information, you can enter ‘N/A’.

Question 8.1.2

Select an answer from the drop-down list. Select ‘yes’ if you are applying for ‘other robotic or automatic technology’.

If you are asking for funding for other robotic or automatic technology, tell us about the item, why you have chosen this item for your business and how it will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the business. Use around 200 words. To support your answer, send any supporting documents or evidence with your full application.

Question 8.1.3

Select an answer from the drop-down list. Select ‘yes’ if you are applying for any fossil fuel powered equipment.

Reducing environmental impacts is a key aim of the scheme. Eligible Farm Productivity equipment using an electric or renewable energy source will be prioritised over equipment powered by fossil fuels (for example, diesel).

Use around 200 words to explain why any electric or renewable powered equipment isn’t a viable alternative for your business. To support your answer, send any supporting documents or evidence with your full application.

Question 8.1.4

Select an answer from the drop-down list. Select ‘yes’ if your item will mitigate labour shortage and reduce manual labour use.

Explain how the introduction of new technology will address labour shortage in the industry and how it will benefit your business.

Tell us how you have calculated the labour savings indicated in the application appendix. Use the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) value based on separate roles of 30 hours or more per week for a full-time position. For example, a person working 15 hours a week would be 0.5 FTE, 30 hours or more would be 1 FTE, or a person working 30 hours or more a week but only for 3 months would be 0.25 FTE.

Question 8.1.5

Tell us if your project will use data analytics to improve the productivity of your business. Select an answer from the drop-down list from ‘Yes, we have the technology already’, ‘Yes, we’ll buy the technology as part of the project’, or ‘No, we will not use any data analytics’.

If you have selected either ‘Yes’ answer, in the box provided, tell us how you will collect and use the data to improve your farm productivity.

Describe what technology you will be using or buying and how it is suited to your business and the proposed activity. To support your answer, send any supporting documents or evidence with your full application.

Software licences cannot be paid for by the grant.

If you have selected ‘No’ please explain why you will not use data analysis technology.

Solar grant theme details

Question 8.1.6

If you need to explain or clarify any information you have entered into the ‘Solar details’ tab, use this box to provide details.

If you do not wish to add further information, you can enter ‘N/A’.

Question 8.1.7

In the box shown, use around 200 words to explain why you need the Solar grant items requested in the application appendix and how they will help to improve the productivity of your business.

Question 8.1.8

An eligible solar PV system should be mainly for farm power. Tell us how the solar PV power will be used on your farm.

Question 8.1.9

Select an answer from the drop-down list. Select ‘yes’ if your farm already has a solar PV system.

If you have an existing solar PV system, use around 200 words to tell us about it in the box below, explaining what items you already have, how you will use the new project items with your existing system and how this will improve farm productivity.

Question 8.1.10

Select an answer from the drop-down list. Select ‘yes’ if you will store the solar energy in a battery or batteries.

If you will store the solar energy in a battery, use the box below to tell us how the batteries you have or propose to purchase are appropriate for your business’ energy needs and how they will provide you with the required amount of storage. Include the proportion of your business’ power need, as a percentage, that will be met by using the battery storage. For example, 60% of the annual power requirement.

Question 8.1.11

Select an answer from the drop-down list. Select ‘yes’ if you have included a battery or electrical grid connection in your Solar grant application. Use the options in the drop-down list to indicate whether you already have solar PV panels on your farm or whether you will install them as part of the project, either as part of your requested eligible costs or within the non-grant funded project expenditure. Use the box below if you want to provide any additional details.

Question 8.1.12

Select an answer from the drop-down list. Select ‘yes’ if you will export surplus power from your solar PV system to the National Grid. Use the box below to tell us what percentage of the power generated annually by your solar PV system, you expect to export to the National Grid and what percentage you expect to use on your farm.

Question 8.1.13

If you intend to export surplus power from your solar PV system to the National Grid you need to contact your regional DNO. You will need to apply for an export agreement if you wish to export power back to the National Grid.

Select an answer from the drop-down list. Select ‘yes’ if you have already contacted the DNO to discuss exporting surplus power to the National Grid. In your explanation tell us if you have also applied for an export agreement and grid connection. Use the box below to tell us about the discussions you have had to date, the arrangements that you have already made and your timescales for completing any outstanding activities. Explain how the timescales are appropriate and achievable for you to deliver your Solar grant project and its objectives. Send a copy of the correspondence you have had with your DNO confirming the arrangements that are in place or being made for exporting surplus power to the National Grid.

If you include the electrical grid connection cost in your requested eligible project costs you cannot include the assessment fee or costs incurred in order to obtain a quote for the grid connection.

If you already have a grid connection, please tell us.

If you select ‘No’ explain in the box below why you have not yet contacted the DNO or made an application for an export agreement and grid connection and when you propose to complete each of these activities. Explain how you will be able to meet your Solar grant project timescales and objectives.

Question 8.1.14

Select an answer from the drop-down list. Select ‘yes’ if you have requested solar PV panels in the application appendix.

If you have requested solar PV panels, tell us where they will be located by answering questions 8.1.14a, 8.1.14b and 8.1.14c. For each question select an answer from the drop-down list.

Use the box below to provide any additional details about the location of the solar PV panels.

Question 8.2 Financial health and projections

We need to understand how the proposed project will impact financially on your business operations, and how your business will manage this.

Before completing this question you will need to fill in the ‘Financial impact’ tab of the application appendix spreadsheet to show the impact of the project on your future costs and income.

Enter your annual forecast costs and income against each heading provided in the table. If there will be other forecast costs or income associated with your project, add these into the empty rows available. Explain these in the application form at Q8.2.2.

You should complete the table with your forecast costs and income for the first year after the project is complete and operational, and for the following two years. Your project will be considered as completed when the equipment is operational, and the final grant claim payment has been paid.

Question 8.2.1

We need to understand the financial capacity within your business to manage the delivery of the project, and how the project will impact your business finances once operational.

Please explain:

what the financial benefits of your project will be to your business once it is operational
how you will manage your cash flow while carrying out your project and how you will manage the grant being paid in arrears
how you will manage your cash flow to fund the existing business and the new project activity
any relevant financial issues that we need to know about relating to the applicant business and the underlying business accounts you have submitted with the full application

If you’re a new business (have not yet started trading or have been trading for less than 2 years) or are self-employed, explain how you have the financial capacity to successfully deliver the project.

We may not be able to support projects that we consider present a significant financial risk to the business.

Question 8.2.2

Explain here the forecasts and key assumptions you have used to fill in the ‘Financial impact’ tab of the application appendix. For example:

if the project will generate additional income
if there will be additional costs or a reduction in costs because of the project
If you have included additional costs or income headings in the ‘Financial impact’ tab, why these are important for your project

Explain the information you have you based your forecasts on.

You need to make sure that your forecasts are realistic and achievable for the business.

Question 8.3 Project delivery

Projects need to be delivered within design, budget, and schedule to be successful. Tell us how you will manage your project to achieve these targets and how you will deal with any issues that occur during the delivery of your project.

Question 8.3.1 Risks and mitigation

Risks are defined as events that are or could be likely. The table in the application lists examples of risks that could impact the successful delivery of your project. These are:

delays or difficulties with supply of project equipment
contractor delays, or failure to complete installation or commissioning
changes or delays in receiving planned project funding
rising or unforeseen additional costs
lack of expertise in the business to deliver the project
unexpected changes to the team managing the project

You need to complete all columns in the table, using the drop-down choices or some free text, as follows.

In column:

A –select the chance of each risk occurring
B - select the likely impact if a risk does occur
C - explain what you would do if it did occur and the steps you would take to continue the project

Explain what you will do to reduce the chance of the risk occurring.

Add any additional risks you identify in the empty boxes at the end of the list.

Question 8.3.2 Project Team

Tell us how and who will manage your project delivery, including:

the people in the project team responsible for delivering the project to schedule and cost, raising the grant claims, and managing the post-project business activity
their current roles in your business
their project delivery skills and experience, or whether you are bringing in outside expertise

We may not be able to support projects that we consider have significant delivery risks and a lack of planned mitigation actions.

Section 9: Information and evaluation

9.1 Follow-up contact

Question 9.1.1

Let us know if you are willing to be contacted in the future. This will help us improve the services and schemes we provide. Select your answer from the drop-down options.

Declaration

Read this section and make sure that you’re in agreement with it and can meet the requirements set out in it.

The declaration must be completed and submitted by someone holding ‘full permissions’ or ‘make legal changes’ permission on the Rural Payments service.

By submitting and agreeing to the submission of the full application form, you’ll be agreeing to the declaration.

Remember to complete the agent authorisation section if you want them to act on your behalf and contact us regarding your application. You will also need to provide them with a minimum of ‘make legal changes’ permission on the Rural Payments service.

When completing your declaration, you should be aware that RPA may withhold or recover all payments under a grant funding agreement if the agreement holder is responsible for a serious breach of their agreement or the 2021 Regulations. This can include if the agreement holder:

gives false or misleading information
fails to report a change of circumstances
fails to provide requested information
obstructs or prevents a site visit

In serious cases, RPA may prohibit the agreement holder from receiving financial assistance under this scheme and other Defra schemes for up to two years. Agreement holders will be notified of any decision and have the right to query it using RPA’s Complaints procedure on GOV.UK.

The person making the declaration and submitting the form must provide their Customer Reference Number (CRN) and the email address so we can identify them on the Rural Payments service.

Important Information

You should not start project activity or enter into any legal contracts, including the ordering or purchasing of any equipment or services before your application has been formally approved and you have entered into a grant funding agreement. Any expenditure incurred before the start date is at your own risk and may make the project ineligible for support.

If you know or recklessly make a false statement to obtain grant aid for yourself or anyone else you risk prosecution, the recovery of all grant payments and exclusion from other schemes operated by the RPA. By submitting the application, you are confirming that you have read and agree with the declarations and you understand we will process the information that we collect from you in accordance with our Privacy Policy below.

Privacy Policy

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the data controller for personal data you give to RPA. For information on how we handle personal data go to Rural Payments Agency personal information charter

We are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and other obligations under law which require us to act transparently and which grant certain rights of access to the public to information held by us. This means that, whilst we will respect the sensitivity of the information you provide, there may be legal requirements which oblige us to disclose this information.

We will use the information you provide to administer, process and assess your application for funding under the Farming Transformation Fund and to administer any funding if your application is successful.

Information may be shared with other persons or organisations helping us with the assessment and monitoring of applications. Information you provide may also be shared with other government departments, agencies and third parties appointed in connection with the administration and evaluation of the Farming Transformation Fund or Defra’s Farming and Countryside Programme. Such organisations may use this information to contact you for occasional customer research aimed at improving the delivery of this programme.

Your information may also be shared with other government departments and agencies for the purpose of fraud prevention.

You may be asked to supply some sensitive personal data as part of your application such as information about racial or ethnic origin, political opinion, religious beliefs, trade union membership, physical or mental health, criminal offences or proceedings.

We will not hold your information for longer than is necessary. We will hold the majority of your information for three years after the programme closure unless we have a legitimate reason to hold this for longer, for instance in defending any legal proceedings brought by any person or body in relation to your application or any funding we have provided, or as required by law or any relevant code of practice.

If any information that we hold about you is, or becomes, inaccurate or incomplete, please tell us and we will correct it.

Monitoring and evaluation

If your project is approved, you will be expected to participate in monitoring and evaluation activities. The aim of this is to improve service delivery, monitor the extent to which the aims have been achieved and to review the success of the fund as a whole. We will send you further details about this with your grant funding agreement.

Supporting documents checklist

You must email your supporting documents as PDF files with your electronic full application forms. You need to submit each supporting document as a separate attachment. Please do not send them in a single PDF document.

All supporting documents that you need to submit to support your application are listed at the back of the full application form. See ‘Supporting documents checklist’ for a list of these. You need to review this list and tick the box to confirm you have included the document with your application. There is a comments box for you to explain if necessary.

If we do not receive all the supporting documents needed for your project, we will not be able to assess it. This may impact on your project timescales.

If you do not provide these documents when we ask for them or they do not meet our requirements, your application may be rejected.

Please make sure your supporting documents meet the following requirements.

Application appendix spreadsheet

If your application is for a Farm Productivity grant, complete the Productivity details tab. If your application is for a Solar grant, complete the Solar details tab. You should not complete both tabs. All other tabs must be fully completed. Make sure you save the application appendix in the correct Excel format.

Applicant business accounts

Refer to the guidance at Question 1.10 for applicant business accounts evidence requirements.

Linked business accounts

We’ll need to see the accounts for any businesses that the applicant business is linked to, as described at Question 1.11a. These need to meet the same requirements as set out at Question 1.10.

New businesses or self-employed applicants

Refer to the guidance at Question 1.10 for evidence requirements.

Consents and permissions

If your project needs planning permission, follow the guidance at Question 7.2. You must have this in place before submitting your application. You should also submit the plans and drawings that were approved as part of your planning application.

If you are a tenant, you must supply the relevant sections from your agreement as set out on the application form.

If your landlord will underwrite any potential grant funding agreement you will need to provide a copy of the completed ‘Landlord – FTF grant underwriting form’.

If you have obtained any other consents, licences or permissions for your project, please send copies to us.

Evidence of project funding

Refer to the guidance at Question 5.4 for funding evidence requirements.

Quotes or other evidence of costs

Refer to Section 5 to see how many quotes or references to catalogue listings or tenders you need to provide for every project item. This also shows the requirements the quotes must meet.

Second-hand items

If you are proposing to purchase any project items second-hand, you must get confirmation from the supplier covering all the points at 5.10 and send it to us with the quote.

Irrecoverable VAT

Refer to the table at 5.7 to check if you can include irrecoverable VAT in your project costs. If you think that you can, you need to send us a letter from an independent professionally qualified accountant that shows your VAT status and confirms that your business can’t recover the VAT you have included in the project costs.

Plans and drawings

If your application is for a Solar grant you need to provide 3 different plans for the project. Make sure these are the final approved versions which are clear and include dimensions or a scale as well as a compass indicating north.

Photographs

If your application is for a Solar grant you need to provide photographs showing where your solar PV panels will be installed. The photographs should indicate the location and show the surrounding area. The photographs should match with your plans.

Energy use

If your application is for a Solar grant and includes solar PV panels you need to submit the quote or specification showing the forecast kW output of the proposed solar PV panels you are applying for grant funding on.

Correspondence with DNO

If your application is for a Solar grant and you will export surplus power from your solar PV system to the National Grid, submit a copy of your correspondence with your DNO.

Question 6

How to fill in the application appendix spreadsheet

Accepted Answer

We sent this to you with your invitation to submit a full application.

You need to fill in 5 tabs on the spreadsheet. These are:

Productivity details or Solar details
A - Financial impact
B - Costs & suppliers
C - Funding & claims
D - Outputs

You need to fill in each tab in the order shown above as the information you fill in will feed into and add the data in other tabs.

The information you enter in the ‘Productivity details’ tab or the ‘Solar details’ tab in the application appendix spreadsheet will automatically create outputs from your project and enter them into the ‘Outputs’ tab. When completing the ‘Productivity details’ tab or ‘Solar details’ tab, check that the entries in the ‘Outputs’ tab are correct. If not, you may need to amend your answer in the ‘Productivity details’ or ‘Solar details’ tab.

If you want to explain any of the information you enter in the appendix, you can use the appropriate questions in section 8 of the application form.

Productivity details tab

Complete this tab if you are applying for a Farm Productivity grant.

We will use the information you enter in this page to score and assess how well the project meets the priorities for the Improving Farm Productivity theme. The information will also be used to create your project outputs.

If you wish to explain any of the information you enter in the ‘Productivity details’ tab, please use question 8.1.1 in the application form to do so.

Be realistic where we have asked you for forecasts as we will expect to see evidence that the outputs you propose have been achieved. Where evidence is not available, or where a project fails to deliver contracted outputs, we may recover previously paid grant funding or withdraw the grant.

Application details

Enter your business name, project name, and project reference number. You can find these at the top of your email inviting you to submit a full application.

Tell us about the items you have included in your grant funded expenditure. You can select up to 5 items. Your full application should be the same project as the one you outlined in your online application.

Which eligible items does your project need?

Select the item that you have included in your grant funded expenditure from the drop-down list. If you select ‘other robotic or automatic technology’ you must detail the make and model in the ‘Description of item’ box below.

Description of item

Tell us what your item is and your preferred make and model. If you have selected ‘other robotic or automatic technology’ above, tell us what your item will do.

Which Robotic and Automatic criteria does your project meet?

Once you have selected your eligible item above, the spreadsheet will indicate whether the item must meet 2 or 4 of the criteria. Tell us which of the four criteria listed your project will meet. Against each criteria select ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘N/A’ as your answer from the drop-down list.

Which agricultural sector will you be using it in?

Tell us which agricultural sector the equipment will be mainly used in. Select ‘horticulture’, or ‘arable’, or ‘non-dairy livestock’, or ‘dairy livestock’ from the drop-down list.

Are you already using this technology?

Tell us if the items that you have included in your grant funded expenditure have been used by your business before.

Select ‘yes, we’re using it now’, ‘yes, we’re using it now but want to upgrade’, ‘yes, as a pilot, demonstration or trial’, or ‘no – we haven’t used it yet’ from the drop-down list.

How will the item be powered?

Tell us what energy source will be used to power each piece of equipment you are applying for. Select ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as your answer against each of the four power sources listed.

Reducing environmental impacts is an important aim of the scheme. Robotic or automatic equipment utilising an electric or renewable energy source will be prioritised over equipment powered by fossil fuels, for example diesel. Biofuels are considered as renewable energy under this scheme.

If there is no alternative, you need to explain this in your answer at question 8.1.3 in the full application form.

How much manual labour will this technology replace?

If labour supply is an issue your project may use technology instead. Select your answer from the drop-down list to tell us the Full Time Equivalent labour savings the item will achieve.

Will your project use data analytics to improve productivity?

Tell us if your project will use data analytics to improve the productivity of your business. Select an answer from the drop-down list from ‘yes, we have the technology already’, ‘yes, we’ll buy the technology as part of the project’, or ‘no, we will not use any data analytics’.

If you wish to apply for more than five different items, you must email FTF@rpa.gov.uk.

Solar details tab

Complete this tab if you are applying for a Solar grant.

We will use the information you enter in this page to score and assess how well the project meets the priorities for the Improving Farm Productivity theme. The information will also be used to create your project outputs.

If you wish to explain any of the information you enter in the ‘Solar details’ tab, please use question 8.1.6 in the application form to do so.

Application details

Enter your business name, project name, and the project reference number from the top of your ‘Invitation to submit a full application’ email.

Select from the drop-down list to tell us whether you are a farmer or contractor. Contractors cannot apply for a Solar grant.

Which agricultural sector is your project in?

Tell us which agricultural sector the equipment will be mainly used in. You can select up to two answers. Select ‘yes’ from the drop-down list against your sector.

Which solar technology does your project need?

Tell us which solar grant items you need and have included in your application. Select ‘yes’ from the drop-down list against all the items you need.

If you are applying for solar PV panels, how much energy will they generate?

Where you are installing solar PV panels as part of the grant funded project, select ‘yes’ from the drop-down list to indicate how much energy they will generate following the project. Select one option as your answer. If you are not requesting solar PV panels in your grant application your answer will be 0kW. If you already have solar PV panels you should only tell us here about the kW output figure for any additional solar PV panels you have requested in your grant application.

Tab A: Financial impact

We need to understand how the purchase of the equipment will financially benefit your business in the future.

Fill in the table to record the additional costs or savings as a result of the project. Against each heading, enter the total annual income or cost in £ for your business.

You should complete the first column in the table, ‘Year 1’, with your annual forecast costs and income for the first year of using and operating the project equipment. For example, when the robotic weeding equipment is operational, the saving in agrichemicals used.

Complete the following two columns, ‘Year 2’ and ‘Year 3’, with your forecast annual costs and income for the subsequent two years. If there will be other forecast costs or income associated with your project, add these into the empty rows available.

We will not support projects that will not offer value for money.

Tab B: Costs & Suppliers

In the Description column, list the project item and the quantity of items you are applying for.

For each item of project expenditure, fill in:

the supplier’s name
the quoted amount (both including and excluding VAT)
the supplier’s VAT and Companies House numbers (if registered)

You’ll need to provide these details for each supplier, starting with your preferred supplier and moving to the right to fill in the columns for the second and third suppliers.

You need to show all costs that are being included in your grant application.

It may be helpful to group similar costs from each supplier under one heading, for example, robotic weeder or electric charging point. These groupings should be supported by clear and detailed itemisation on all the supplier quotes.

You should also fill in the table under the main project expenditure table to show any non-grant funded project expenditure. These are costs that are critical to the project but are ineligible items you are not asking for grant support for. For example, a feed storage area for a robotic feeding system.

Tab C – Funding & Claims

Much of the information in this tab will be copied across by the spreadsheet from the details you fill in on tab B. You first need to confirm if you are including irrecoverable VAT in your project costs to make sure the correct costs are transferred in from tab B. Enter Y or N into the box on line 4.

You should then enter the requested grant % rate (column E) to work out the grant. For example, if you are requesting grant funding at 50%, enter 50 into the grant rate box. Do not use a % sign. You must use the same grant rate for all the lines or items requested.

When you have entered the grant rate, the total grant amount requested will be shown in column F.

Once the grant rate and grant amounts are complete check the project cost summary table to make sure all details are correct.

Any declared non-grant funded expenditure will also be copied from the table you filled in on tab B.

You should then fill in the claims table at the right of the tab. Enter the date you expect to start the project in the box above the Claims table. You need to put up to 3 claim dates on line 7 (you can overtype the date in red), then enter the eligible cost that you plan to include in each claim for every item in columns H, J, and L. The grant amount will be shown and the totals for each claim will be calculated at the bottom of the table.

As you allocate each item of expenditure to a claim, the figure in column N to the right of the claims table will show £0.00 in green.

Expenditure remaining to be allocated to claims will be shown in red.

When setting your claim dates, think about when your costs will occur and when the invoices will be paid in full. You don’t have to have 3 claims, you can submit just 1 or 2.

Remember to space multiple claims about 3 months apart, to allow time for any project slippage and our processing and payment requirements. We may have to amend claim dates that are too close together.

For most costs it is likely that you’ll receive one invoice and will then claim for the full cost after the item has been received, installed and paid for in full.

We do not normally pay claims until the item is fully installed and operational. However, there may be some instances where a large deposit must be paid at the point of ordering. If you want to include a deposit in your claim schedule it should not be more than 40% of the value of the item and it will be paid at the GFA % grant rate. A deposit should be clearly set out in your claim schedule.

Check that you have filled in the costs and claims table and checked to make sure that the project cost summary is correct. You should scroll down to check that the claim table at the bottom of the tab is also correct. This should accurately show when you plan to submit each claim, the total expenditure included in each claim and the grant amount you intend to claim.

If you have more than one claim, you need to make sure that the final claim is at least 15% of the total grant amount being requested.

Tab D: Outputs

The tables on this tab will list the project outputs we expect your project to meet as part of your Improving Farm Productivity grant Round 2 outcomes. These will be entered as contractual obligations (to be delivered) in your GFA.

The GFA will cover five years from the final payment of any grant awarded. You will be expected to deliver your project activity, outputs and outcomes throughout this period.

Outputs are the actual and real benefits that will result from your project which are used to show its success. You must be able to measure them.

The Improving Farm Productivity grant Round 2 outputs are the number of new techniques.

A new technique is a new piece of technology that is introduced to the business. The full application form, photographs, monitoring reports and site visits will show us if a new technique has been created for the business.

There is one table for any Farm Productivity outputs and a separate table for Solar grant outputs. The tables will automatically populate from the details you have entered in the ‘Productivity details’ tab or the ‘Solar details’ tab.

An important aim of this scheme is to enhance the use of the data collected by the equipment to improve your productivity.

If we offer you a grant, we will send you further guidance regarding data monitoring and reporting with your grant funding agreement.

Be realistic in your forecasts as we will expect to see evidence that all your outputs have been achieved. If evidence is not available or if a project fails to deliver agreed outputs and results, we may have to withdraw or ask you to repay the grant.

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