Guidance

How to submit a Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare grant round 1 full application for Comprehensive projects (invited applicants)

Updated 18 September 2024

Applies to England

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

Find out about other grants and funds.

1. How to make a full application

Before you fill in the full application form, read the:

• Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare grant round 1: guidance for invited applicants
• email inviting you to submit a full application - this tells you what information you need for your full application
• supporting document checklist (the last tab in the Excel application form) to make sure you have all the necessary information and documents to hand

1.1 Check your records on the Rural Payments service

Make sure that your business is registered with the Rural Payments service and has both a Single Business Identifier (SBI) number, and a County Parish Holding (CPH) number (for your registered laying hens/pullets). Your application cannot be processed without these. 

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

If you are an agent submitting the application on behalf of a customer, you should make sure that you have the correct permissions to use the Rural Payments service.

1.2 Make your full application

You can only complete this stage after you have used the online checker and been invited to submit a full application.

There are separate application forms if you are applying for veranda-only or comprehensive projects.

Only fill in the Excel application form spreadsheet provided by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), as we cannot accept information in any other format.

Complete all the questions on the application form and give full and clear answers to free-text questions.

1.3 When to apply

You can apply at any time before 11.59pm on 30 January 2026 .

Do not submit your application before you have all the required information. RPA cannot process an incomplete application.

RPA will not accept any applications that miss the published deadline and has the right to change the deadline. Check the details in the Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare grant round 1: guidance for invited applicants.

If your application is successful, RPA will send you a grant funding agreement (GFA). You must sign your GFA before you start your project. This means before placing any orders for goods or services with your suppliers, and before starting any project works on site.

1.4 Submit your application

Save your completed application form Excel document in the .xlsx format.

If you do not have Microsoft Excel you can use free Open Office software to complete the application form, as long as you save it in the Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) format. To do this:

1. Select ‘Save as’ when saving the application form spreadsheet - the ‘Save as’ box will open.

2. Select the format for the document in the ‘Save as type’ box - select the format type – Excel Workbook (.xlsx).

3. Select ‘Save’.

4. A dialog box may open asking you to ‘Confirm file format’ - if that happens, select ‘Confirm’.

Attach the document to an email and send it from the email address you give us in the ‘Applicant details’ section on the ‘Application’ tab of the application form.

Email all completed forms to FTF@rpa.gov.uk.

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 the ‘Applicant details’ section.

The email address(es) 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.

1.5 Multiple applications

You must have submitted each Comprehensive project you are applying for through the online checker. The online checker closed at 11.59pm on 18 September 2024.

If you have been invited to submit applications for multiple comprehensive projects, you will need to fill in a separate application form for each project. Please submit all of your applications together. This will help RPA to process your applications quicker.

1.6 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 Customer Reference Number (CRN).

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.

You can find information on updating your details in the Rural Payments service guidance.

1.7 Sending supporting documents

Attach all supporting documents to the email you send with your application form. 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 and include your project reference number, for example ‘000000: application 1 of 3’. Your project reference number is the 6-digit number on the email we sent to you inviting you to submit a full application.

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

2. How to fill in the Comprehensive project application spreadsheet

For a full application, you must complete the Comprehensive project application form spreadsheet.

You need to fill in 7 tabs on the spreadsheet. These are:

• Application
• Specification
• Theme details
• Costs and suppliers
• Funding and claims
• Application Declaration
• Checklist

Fill in each tab in the order shown above, as some of the information you fill in will feed into and create data in the other tabs.

Only use this full application form for one building as per the project referenced in your invitation.

2.1 Application tab

Provide your responses to the questions in column C in column D. Column F will display responses to your answers and show required actions or further information.

Question 1.1

Enter the 6-digit project reference, as detailed at the top of your ‘invitation to submit a full application’ email.

Question 1.2

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

If you are submitting applications for more than one building, the project names should be different and identify the individual building.

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

Applicant details

Please provide details of the business applying for the grant. This should be the same business as you told us about in the online checker.

If you’re filling in this form on behalf of a business or organisation where you are not the sole owner, a partner, or a director, you should be an authorised agent (including an employee) with delegated authority registered on the Rural Payments service.

Question 1.3

Tell us the full legal name of your business or organisation.

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

Question 1.4

Enter your 9-digit SBI number.

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 be unable to process your application.

Question 1.5

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

Question 1.6

Confirm that these business details match the records on the Rural Payments service. If they do not match, we cannot progress your application.

Question 1.7

Enter your title, 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 has ‘Full permissions’ for the business on the Rural Payments service.

Question 1.8

Enter your CRN which is individual to you.   

Question 1.9

Enter the email address to contact you if we have any questions about your application. Please provide an email address that you check regularly as we will use email as our main way of contacting you. This should be your email address and not the one for your agent or manager, which you can give us in Question 1.18.

Question 1.10

Confirm that these applicant details match someone who is registered with ‘Full permissions’ or with permission to ‘Make legal changes’ for this business on Rural Payments.

Question 1.11

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

Question 1.12

Enter your business phone number.

Question 1.13

Use the drop-down list to tell us if you have used an external agent, consultant, or business manager to help complete your application. If ‘No’, go to Question 2.1.

Question 1.14

Confirm if you authorise someone to act on your behalf with RPA with any future correspondence about this application, and for all correspondence to be copied to them.

Questions 1.15 - 1.20

Provide the requested contact details (if applicable).

Question 1.21

Confirm that the authorised person has the appropriate permissions for this business on the Rural Payments service.

Your agent must have permission to ‘Make legal changes’ or ‘Full permissions’ for the applicant business as detailed on the Rural Payments service.

Business details

Question 2.1

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

Question 2.2

Select the best fit for your main business activity from the drop-down list. Only farmers with laying hens or pullets are eligible to apply for this grant.

Question 2.3

Confirm whether this project is for new or existing business activity. Only existing commercial egg producers or pullet rearers are eligible to apply. New start-up enterprises are not eligible to apply.

Question 2.4

Enter the Companies House, VAT registration and Registered Charity numbers of the applicant business. Enter ‘N/A’ if they do not apply to your business.

Question 2.5

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

Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ from the drop-down lists. If your answer is ‘Yes’, please tell us the name of any linked businesses in the ‘Comments’ box in column F.

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 material 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 businesses involved may be considered as linked if they operate on the same or similar markets. Family links may be 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.

You must send us the latest financial 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.

You will need to submit full accounts for the last 3 years for the applicant business, as detailed in the ‘Checklist’ tab and in the ‘Checklist’ tab guidance below.

Question 2.6

Using the drop-down list, tell us if your business/organisation has any related or linked businesses in Northern Ireland.

Funding from this grant must solely be used for the purposes of business operations in England. Monies from this grant cannot be used to cross-subsidise any related, linked, parent, subsidiary, partnership, joint venture businesses or operations based in Northern Ireland.

If you answer ‘Yes’ to Question 2.6, please provide the details of the businesses or operations in the ‘Comments’ box in column F.

Question 2.7

Complete the drop-down lists to provide information on the business principals, selecting either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. Business principals means any business owner, partner or director.

If you answer ‘Yes’ to  any parts of Question 2.7, enter additional details in the ‘Comments’ box in column F. This will not automatically exclude you from receiving grant funding.

Question 2.8

We gathered some information from you when you completed the online checker. Please review the answers you gave about the legal status of the business, business activity and business name. This will be recorded in the email you received after submitting your details. 

If you select ‘No’ from the drop-down list for this question, you’re confirming that the answers you gave to these questions have not changed.

If you select ‘Yes’ from the drop-down list for this question, you are confirming that one or more of the answers you gave has changed or is incorrect.

If your answer to Question 2.8 is ‘Yes’, please use the ‘Comments’ box in column F to tell us of the changes to the applicant business details since you completed the online checker. 

If there have been significant or numerous changes to any of the applicant business details, which have not already been discussed and agreed with your RPA contact, your project may no longer be eligible to proceed.

Project details

Question 3.1

Confirm if you are applying to either refurbish or replace an existing building housing laying hens or pullets. This application form should not be used for any other type of project.

Question 3.2

This grant is only available for projects located in England. Confirm if the building will be in England.

Question 3.3

Provide the postcode of the building, so that we can verify the location.

Question 3.4

Use the drop-down list to confirm what type of poultry will be housed in this building. The grant is only available for housing for laying hens or pullets.

Question 3.5

Confirm if you are the registered keeper of at least 1000 hens or 1000 pullets, as identified at Question 3.4.

Question 3.6

Select from the drop-down list how many existing buildings you are replacing or refurbishing with this project.

For example, if you are replacing several smaller buildings with one new building. Or if the refurbishment of the housing and inclusion of an aviary means that you can house more birds in this building and decommission another building.

This helps RPA to understand how many existing buildings and birds will be combined in the new or refurbished building after project completion. 

This is only about the buildings and birds for this project application. You do not need to include buildings or birds that are not part of this project application.

The grant cannot be used to fund the expansion of your flock. If you are increasing your flock as part of this project, by the inclusion of an aviary/multi-tier system or if the new housing is larger than required to house the existing flock, the costs will be calculated on the proportion of the existing hen or pullet numbers.

If the new building or refurbishment is replacing multiple buildings, you will need to fill in Questions 3.6a-3.6e in columns H to L.

The floor area of the veranda should not be used when calculating stocking capacity (even if 24-hour access is provided). 

Question 3.6a

Provide the reference number or project name to identify the building(s) being replaced by the project.

Question 3.6b

Provide the total stocking capacity of the existing building(s) before the project is started. This is the maximum number of birds that you can legally house in the building.

Question 3.6c

Provide the total usable floor area of the existing building(s) in m² before the project is started. This includes all floor levels where multi-tier systems are in place.

Question 3.6d

Provide the total usable area at ground floor level of the existing building(s) in m² before the project is started. This is the littered area, at ground floor level, on which hens/pullets have access and can comfortably stand.

This is used to work out the veranda size requirements for each building.

Question 3.6e

Select from the drop-down lists what will happen to the existing housing building(s). 

Question 3.6f

Provide the total stocking capacity of the housing after the project is completed. This is the maximum number of birds that you can legally house in the building.

Question 3.6g

Provide the total usable floor area of the building(s) in m² after the project is completed. This includes all floor levels where multi-tier systems are in place.

Question 3.6h

Provide the total usable area at ground floor level of the building(s) in m² after the project is completed. This is the littered area, at ground floor level, on which hens/pullets have access and can comfortably stand.

Question 3.7

Provide your registered keeper name and ID from the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) poultry register, if known.

Question 3.8

Provide details of the site registered with the APHA poultry register where the project is located.

Question 3.9

Confirm how many Comprehensive project grant applications you intend to submit, including the current application.

Question 3.10

Provide the reference numbers, project names and grant request amounts for all other comprehensive project applications that you intend to submit. You can find your project reference number in each of the ‘invitation to submit a full application’ emails.

The minimum total grant request is £15,000 and the maximum total is £500,000, per applicant business. 

It will help the processing of your applications if you submit them all at the same time, but on separate emails.

Permissions and consents

You must consider what permissions and permits you will need for your project. We recommend you apply for these at the same time and make it clear on the applications that the project is part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare grant.

If you are planning a comprehensive project to move from a cage system to a multi-tier aviary system, we recommend that manure belt removal is conducted at least twice per week to mitigate ammonia emissions. If you plan to do so, we recommend that you state this in any planning application.

Question 4.1

Tell us if you have planning permission for your project. This may be full planning permission or a permitted development approval notice. Select your answer from the drop-down list.

Planning permission may be required for alterations to existing buildings or the construction of new buildings.

We cannot assess applications or commit funds to projects that are waiting on planning permission to be approved, or the planning status is unclear. You need to send a copy of the planning permission approval with your full application.

If your project has permitted development rights, you will need to provide a copy of the prior approval notice from your Local Planning Authority (LPA). 

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

If you do not have the required planning consent for your project, your application will be incomplete and withdrawn from the scheme.  

If you think that you do not require planning permission for your project you will need to provide evidence from your LPA that it is not required, along with a copy of the information that you provided to them.

Questions 4.1a-b

So that we can check the planning documents and plans on the LPA website, tell us their name and the planning reference approval number.

Question 4.2

Confirm if the total number of birds on site after project completion will exceed 40,000. This is all buildings including the building in this project.

The project may require a new, or an update to an existing, environmental permit if you have more than 40,000 places for poultry on your site. If you currently have less than 40,000 bird places on your site and you will increase the number of bird places to more than 40,000, you will need to apply for an environmental permit.

If your site currently has more than 40,000 bird places and your project will include changes to the permitted activity (for example, housing system, bird numbers or manure management), you will need to apply for an environmental permit variation.   

Question 4.2a

Use the drop-down list to confirm the status of any required environmental permit. You will need to provide a copy with your application.

Question 4.3

Confirm if the project will take place on land or in premises that are rented, leased, or tenanted, or if the applicant business owns the land or premises. Select your answer from the drop-down list.

If the applicant business does not own the land or premises, you will need a rental or tenancy agreement with the owner. 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 owned outside the farming business, for example by a trust or 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 dates, 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 from the GFA start date, you’ll need to have a new agreement and provide a copy if requested.

If you have an oral tenancy agreement you will need to provide written evidence from your landlord confirming that you have security of tenure for at least 6 years. If you cannot do this then evidence of rent payments, estate correspondence, or other documentation such as subsidy claims that show you have occupied the land/premises before 1 September 1995 will be acceptable.

Question 4.4

Confirm if any other permissions or consents are needed for your project, for example, listed building consent. If you choose ‘Yes’ from the drop-down list, provide details of the required permissions in the ‘Comments’ box in column F.

If you are renting or leasing the project location, you will need to provide evidence of development permission from the landowner/landlord. This is usually an entry in the tenancy or leaseholder agreement.

Project funding

We suggest you fill in the ‘Costs and suppliers’ and ‘Funding and claims’ tabs before filling in this section, as this is used to populate the figures in Table 5.1.

Table 5.1

The table shows the project expenditure, the grant amount you are requesting and the private match funding needed and other details pre-populated from the entries in the ‘Cost and suppliers’ and ‘Funding and claims’ tabs. You do not need to enter amounts in the table.

Question 5.2

Tell us the source 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 of these.

Enter the amount of funding you’ve secured or have conditional agreement for (for example, subject to the grant being awarded for the project) for each funding type. If you enter an amount for ‘Other’, please tell us about the funding source in the ‘Comments’ box in column F.

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

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

If you are providing funding 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 how much and where it is coming from. For example, 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 tell us in the ‘Comments’ box in column F how you will be able to make use of this facility and provide evidence to 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 claim any grant, you need to have paid all the instalments and can provide evidence to show that you fully own it.

Question 5.3

Grant funding is paid in arrears at agreed stages. You can make a maximum of 3 claims over the course of the project. Confirm using the drop-down list if you have enough funding to pay the project costs before each grant claim is submitted. For example, if there is headroom within your overdraft for normal business cash flow.

Question 5.4

Where VAT can be recovered from HMRC, it should not be included in your project costs. Use the drop-down list in column D to tell us if you have included VAT in your project costs. If you select ‘Yes’, please tell us why in the ‘Comments’ box in column F.

Use the table below to find out if you can include VAT in your project costs.

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 are able to reclaim input VAT on certain capital assets costing over £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

If you are not able to recover VAT from HMRC, you will need to provide a letter from a professionally qualified independent accountant to confirm this.

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).

Question 5.5

Select from the drop-down list if you are providing the required number of quotes, tenders or references to catalogue listings for all items included in your application. More information about this can be found in the ‘Providing quotes’ section of this guidance.

If you have not provided the required number of quotes, references to catalogue listings or tenders for any item included in your project costs, please tell us why in the ‘Comments’ box in column F.

You will need to provide evidence to support why you have not been able to provide the quotes.

If there are no other suppliers available, either nationally or internationally, you must provide written evidence (such as emails or letters, clearly showing business identities) of ‘declines’ from at least 3 potential suppliers that you have approached.

You will need to provide details of all quotes in the ‘Costs and suppliers’ tab.

We may not be able to pay for costs if you do not provide the required number of quotes for them.

Questions 5.6

Confirm from the drop-down list if you or your business are connected in any way, or have an association with, any of the businesses providing quotes for the project items.

If you answer ‘Yes’, tell us in the ‘Comments’ box in column F who the suppliers are and explain the connection to you and your business. This includes links through ownership as set out in Question 2.5 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. A connection with a supplier will not automatically disqualify an item for funding.

Questions 5.7

Confirm from the drop-down list if you plan to buy any second-hand items for the project. If you answer ‘Yes’, tell us in the ‘Comments’ box in column F about the items that you plan to buy and why you want to do this. When you request quotes for a second-hand item, you’ll need to ask the supplier to confirm:

• details of 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 you cannot get this confirmation from the supplier, 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 doesn’t 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 also 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
• description given to the supplier was consistent with the purpose for the project as set out in your application

Provide a copy of your email or letter to potential suppliers asking for this information with your application. You will need to tell suppliers what you want to use the item for.

If you cannot obtain the supplier confirmation with the quote, tell us why. You will also need to fully explain how you know the item will meet the criteria in the declaration if the supplier will not provide it. If you do not provide acceptable alternative evidence (such as photographs, receipts, extant guarantees, independent expert statements) we may not be able to accept the quote.

If your second-hand item is no longer available at the time 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. Where 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.

Question 5.8

Tell us if you or your business has received, or applied for, any other public sector funding for previous hen housing activities or for items intended for this project. Select your answer from the drop-down list. If you answer ‘Yes’, please give details in the ‘Comments’ box in column F.

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.

You need to review any national funding applied for or received from the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF), as this grant includes items with the potential to cross-over with the Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare grant, for example:

• automatic curtain system for poultry housing
• LED light for poultry housing
• steel wire mesh for poultry run
• visual or acoustic monitoring system
• ultrahigh-pressure evaporative cooling mist line system

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

Include details of any other grant applications you have made and not yet heard the outcome for. You cannot receive funding on the same grant-funded item from more than one public source.

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

Information and evaluation

Question 6

Please let us know if you are happy to be contacted in the future about your experience of applying for this grant. This will help us improve the services and schemes we provide. Select your answer from the drop-down list.

2.2 Specification tab

The application details will automatically populate from the completed ‘Application’ tab.

Use the drop-down lists in column F to confirm if you will be meeting the scheme specifications with your proposed project. Column H will display responses to your answers and show required action or further information.

For Section 7, you need to provide measurements in column K.

Compliance with the Comprehensive project minimum specifications

We will use the information you  tell us on this tab to help us assess whether the project meets the Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare grant Comprehensive project minimum specifications.  

What you tell us in this part of the application form should match what you told us in the online checker. You need to meet all minimum specifications for your application to continue.

You should share these minimum specifications with your potential suppliers and these should be included in their quotations.

Your project will be ineligible if it does not meet all the minimum specifications. You need to make sure the project details in your full application meet the minimum specifications before you submit it to us, as you will not be able to correct or resubmit it later on.

If your application is successful, we will send you a GFA. This GFA will cover 5 years from the final payment of any grant awarded. You will be expected to deliver your project activity throughout this period.

General Building Features

Select from the drop-down lists to confirm if the project housing includes the listed internal and external features.

Biosecurity changing areas are expected to be included as an integral part of any new building. Or for refurbishment projects, this changing area may take the form of a ‘biosecurity module’, a smaller shed added to the outside of the main entrance.

Pullet housing requirements

Select from the drop-down lists to confirm if the pullet housing includes the listed pullet housing features.

Aviary system (for laying hens only)

For laying hens, the project must include a high welfare multi-tier aviary system (not a combi-cage system).

While some systems are designed to maximise accessibility, others will require the addition of welfare ramps and/or platforms to meet this requirement.

Select from the drop-down lists to confirm if the aviary system includes the  listed aviary system features.

Multi-tier system (pullets only)

Select from the first drop-down list to confirm the type of housing system to be used.

Select from the second drop-down list  to confirm if the chosen housing system includes the listed features.

Ventilation system

Select from the drop-down list to confirm if the project housing uses a mechanical ventilation system.

If ‘Yes’, select from the drop-down lists to confirm if the system includes the listed features.

House lighting system

Select from the drop-down lists to confirm if the project includes the  listed lighting system features.

The ‘capacity to simulate a stepped dawn and dusk’ is only required for pullet step-up systems.

Veranda

Select from the drop-down list to confirm if the project housing includes a veranda.

All projects for laying hens must include a veranda, unless the site does not have access to an outdoor area of a suitable size.  A veranda is optional for pullet housing projects, but if it is included it must meet the minimum specifications.

If you select ’Yes’, select from the drop-down lists to confirm if the veranda includes the listed features.

The floor area of the veranda should not be used when calculating stocking capacity (even if 24-hour access is provided).

External biosecurity features

Select from the drop-down lists to confirm if the project includes the listed external biosecurity features.

Concrete aprons do not need to cross the range.

Vehicle washing and disinfecting areas should take the form of an area of hard-standing concrete which is appropriate to the size of the vehicles entering the facility, with a minimum width of 3 metres.

Roof suitability for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels

Installation of solar PV panels is not a requirement for projects to be eligible for funding. However, even if you are not including solar PV panels in your project, all funded roofs must be capable of supporting solar PV panels, unless one of the specified exemptions apply.

Select from the drop-down list if you are including solar PV panels in your project.

If you are not including solar PV panels in your project, select from the drop-down lists to confirm if the roof meets the capacity or exemption criteria.

2.3 Theme details tab

We will use the information you tell us on this tab to help us understand your project and which additional elements of the theme are being included.

Although these additional features are not a requirement of the grant, they do improve how your project meets the grant funding priorities and how it will be scored.

The information you provide in this tab should match what you told us when you filled in the online checker. The email we sent you when you submitted the online checker tells you which elements you said you were including.  

If you remove features from your full application that were included in the online checker, this will reduce your project score against the priorities. This may mean your project will not score high enough to receive funding.

Question 1

Select from the drop-down list to confirm if the housing being upgraded is for laying hens or pullets.

Question 2

Select from the drop-down list to confirm the existing housing system that is being upgraded or replaced.

If you select ‘Colony cage’, you will need to fill in and submit a Feather Cover Action Plan with your full application.

Question 3

Select from the drop-down list to confirm if the existing housing currently includes a multi-tier system.

Question 4

Select from the drop-down list to confirm if all levels of aviary or multi-tier housing are connected by ramps.

Question 5

Select from the drop-down  list to confirm if the highest tier with direct floor access is 2 metres high or less.

Question 6

Select from the drop-down list to confirm how many tiers will be housed directly above each other.

Question 7

Select from the drop-down list to confirm if the birds in the project building will be housed in aviary/multi-tier systems as both pullets and hens.

Question 8

Select from the drop-down list to confirm if the housing will have windows allowing natural light.

Question 9

Select from the drop-down list to confirm if the housing will include dark brooders. This is applicable for pullets only.

Question 10

Select from the drop-down list to confirm if your perches will have enhanced gripping elements. For example, easy-grip shape, material or coating.

Question 11

Select from the drop-down list to confirm if the project includes a veranda.

Questions 12a-b

Select from the drop-down lists to confirm if the building structure will have:

• shower facilities in the lobby/changing room of the housing
• an externally accessible storage place with separate air space

Questions 13a-d

Select from the drop-down lists to confirm if the building will have:

• manure drying facilities
• filtering of air entering the building (biosecurity)
• filtering of air exiting the building (emissions) – for example, using wet/dry scrubbers
• a tree shelter belt

Questions 14a-d

Select from the drop-down lists to confirm if the housing will use sustainable energy sources, such as:

• solar/thermal PV
• a heat exchanger (heating only)
• a heat exchanger (heating and cooling)
• a biomass boiler

Questions 15a-i

Select from the drop-down lists to confirm what poultry management data will be collected from your grant-funded housing.

If you select ‘Other’, please tell us what management data your housing will be collecting in column D.

Questions 16a-d

Select from the drop-down lists to confirm what additional environmental data will be collected from your grant-funded housing.

If you select ‘Other’, please tell us what management data your housing will be collecting in column D.

2.4 Costs and suppliers tab

You need to fill in:

• items to be funded (column B)
• the supplier’s names (columns C, H and M)
• the quoted amount including VAT (columns D, I and N)
• the quoted amount excluding VAT (columns E, J and O)
• the suppliers’ VAT numbers, if registered (columns F, K and P)
• the suppliers’ Companies House numbers, if registered (columns G, L and Q)

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.

Show all costs that are included in your grant application. It may be helpful to group similar costs, or costs relating to each specification from each supplier under one heading. For example, group together all items meeting the ventilation system requirements (specification 5) and show them itemised for each supplier. 

Your quotes need to show that the items meet the Comprehensive project specifications. Any invoices for future grant claims will also need to show that the Comprehensive project specification has been met.

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. The cost of the item can change if you are given an estimate. The guidance for estimates is the same as for quotes.

Approved grants are based on the costs provided at the time of full application. Increases to costs after this will not be covered by increases to your grant amount.

You will also need to tell us about any essential but non-grant funded project expenditure. You should do this in the table below your grant fundable items, so that we understand the full financial requirements of the project.

Providing quotes

All the quotes you supply must include enough detailed and itemised information to satisfy RPA that the proposed project meets the Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare minimum Comprehensive project specifications. If your quotes do not support all of the requirements in the ‘Specification’ tab, your application will no longer be eligible for the scheme.

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

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

*Formal competitive tenders are viewed as quotes that suppliers put together within an identified timeframe and follow a detailed and itemised specification provided by the applicant.

You should be able to provide the necessary 3 quotes from different suppliers. You can source these from the UK or internationally.

You can only submit one quote from a supplier in the same franchise or supplier network and you must provide 2 additional quotes from different suppliers.

Project costs may be excluded and your project is at risk of being ineligible if you have not provided the required number of quotes, references to catalogue listings or tenders for any item included in your project costs.

All quotes or tenders must:

• include a detailed and itemised breakdown of costs that exactly match with the entries in the ‘Costs and suppliers’ tab of the application form
• clearly identify each element matching the comprehensive minimum specification and any other declared elements being grant-funded by the project
• come from different, independent suppliers who are not linked to each other or to your business through shared ownership or control
• include the supplier’s business name, address (including postcode) and telephone number
• be sourced independently by you or your agent - a supplier cannot source quotes from other suppliers on your behalf
• be directly 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 us the original covering email showing time, date, and who sent it.

Any references to a catalogue listing must be sent as screenshots and 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 and 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.

We check value for money by comparing all quotes in £ sterling. If you’re providing quotes in a different currency you will need to convert these to £ sterling in your application. You can use HMRC exchange rates for the conversion.

If you are converting from other currency to £ sterling, 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 us copies of the email(s) showing you contacted us about using a formal tendering process and it was agreed that you could.

If the quotes or tenders do not meet the requirements you will need to submit revised quotes or tenders that do, or we may remove the item from your application.

Best value quote

We want applicants to use the best value quote. That means getting the best value on the market by using the cheapest supplier for each project item. Where a more expensive quote has been selected as the preferred supplier, 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.

2.5 Funding and claims tab

This tab is used to calculate the eligible funding for your project, how much private match funding will be needed and for you to tell us when you plan to claim the funding.

Adjustment of eligible costs    

The eligible costs may be adjusted if there is the potential for your flock to be expanded as a result of the project, or where the solar capacity exceeds 5kW per thousand birds.

Read Sections ‘6.2 Production capacity’ and ‘6.3 Roof mounted solar PV panels’ of the Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare grant round 1 specifications for more information.

The proportion of the costs that are eligible for grant funding is based on the current and future capacity of the housing.

The table at the top of this tab calculates the proportion of the costs for the building, aviary/multi-tier systems and solar PV systems that are eligible for funding and adjusts the maximum eligible grant rate (40% for housing, 25% for solar) accordingly. 

Maximum grant = (total cost × percentage of costs eligible) × maximum grant rate

Adjusted maximum eligible grant = maximum grant rate × percentage of costs eligible

Maximum grant = total cost × adjusted maximum eligible grant rate

For example, if you are doubling the number of birds in a new building, only 50% of these costs will be eligible for funding. The standard maximum grant rate for eligible costs is 40%. The adjusted rate for this example would be 40% × 50% = 20%. The adjusted grant rate of 20% would be applied to the total building costs.

If you are installing solar PV on the housing roof as part of this project, you need to tell us the capacity of the solar PV system (kW) in cell D7. The table calculates the proportion of the solar costs that are eligible for funding based on a maximum of 5kW per thousand birds.

Eligible grant funded expenditure

The description of the item, the preferred supplier and the expenditure (excluding VAT) in this tab will be copied across automatically from the details you have filled in on the ‘Costs and suppliers’ tab.

Firstly, confirm if you are including irrecoverable VAT in your project costs by entering ‘Y’ or ‘N’ in cell E17. This is to make sure the correct costs are transferred from the ‘Costs and suppliers’ tab.

In column B, select a category for each item from the drop-down list, either Housing, Aviary/multi-tier or Solar.

Column F (grant rate %) is set as a default maximum based on the category and calculations in the adjustments table. You can reduce the requested grant rate, but all items in the same category must use the same rate.    

The total grant amount requested will be shown at the bottom of the completed table in column G.

When the grant rate and grant amounts are complete, check the project cost summary table at lines 47 - 50 to make sure all details are correct.

Any declared non-grant funded expenditure will also be copied from the ‘Costs and suppliers’ tab.

Claims

Fill in the claims table to the right of the eligible expenditure table. Enter a proposed project start date (date on which you intend to start the project by placing orders with suppliers, and eligible expenditure is incurred) in cell L17, and your eligible grant expenditure amounts in columns I, K, and M. You can give up to 3 claim dates on line 20 (overtype the date in red) and put the eligible cost that you want to include in each claim for every item.

When setting your claim dates, think about when your costs will occur and when the invoice(s) will be paid in full. You do not have to have 3 claims, you can submit just one or 2. Some item costs may be spread out, so you may receive interim invoices as the works are completed. In such cases you may want to submit 2 or 3 claims against the same item.

Space multiple claims at least 3 months apart, to allow time for any project slippage and our processing and payment requirements. We will have to amend claim dates that are too close together.

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 O 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.

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

We do not normally pay the final grant payment 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 grant rate shown in your GFA. A deposit should be clearly set out in your claim schedule.

Check that you’ve filled in the costs and claims table and made sure that the project cost summary is correct. Scroll down to check that the ’Claim Submission’ table at the bottom of the tab is also correct. This should 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, the final claim must be at least 15% of the total grant amount being requested.

2.6 Application Declaration tab

Please read this section and make sure that you’re in agreement with and can meet the requirements set out in it. By submitting and agreeing to the submission of the full application form, you’ll be agreeing to the declaration.

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

You will need to complete the agent authorisation section on the ‘Application’ tab Questions 1.14-1.21, if you want someone to act on your behalf and contact us about 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 GFA if the agreement holder is responsible for a serious breach of their agreement or The Agriculture (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2021. 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 2 years. Agreement holders will be notified of any decision and have the right to query it using the RPA complaints procedure.

When making the declaration and submitting the form, you must provide your CRN and email address so we can identify you on the Rural Payments service.

2.7 Checklist tab

This tab allows you to check off each of the documents that you need to send us with your application spreadsheet. If completed fully, this could save time at the appraisal stage of your application, meaning you will receive a decision sooner.

There is a section at the end of the table to allow you to add any other evidence that you want to provide to support your application.

This tab allows you to make a copy that can be printed off for your own use.