Farmers and land managers in Wales have another chance to apply for Farm Business Grants (FBG) to help improve the economic and environmental performance of their holdings.

The grant provides a 40 per cent contribution towards capital investments in equipment and machinery that have been pre-identified as offering clear and measurable benefits to farm enterprises.

“Available over four years, the £40 million funding pot offers grants from a minimum of £3,000 up to a maximum £12,000,” said Sarah Wedge, land agent with Davis Meade Property Consultants at Oswestry.

“The fourth round of the FBG has opened and farmers have until June 29 to make an application through Rural Payments Wales (RPW).”

The capital items available through the scheme follow five themes: Animal Health, Performance and Genetics, Crop Management, Resource Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and ICT and are specified with standardised costs.

The scheme is discretionary with the amount of grant offered relating to individual circumstances and will always be the minimum amount necessary to allow the investments to go ahead.

Farms may apply in more than one application round but only one grant award will be allowed per farm under this scheme.

All businesses applying for the Farm Business Grant will be required to register their business with Farming Connect in advance of applying and eligibility for the Farm Business Grant requires a partner in the business to attend a ‘Farming for the Future’ event organised by Farming Connect.

The individual attending must be registered as a business partner with Farming Connect and Welsh Government Rural Payment Wales.

The business must have a minimum of three hectares of agricultural land or be able to demonstrate 550 standard labour hours, which will be determined at registration with Farming Connect.

Businesses with a total turnover exceeding £1m are not eligible the grant.

Arable, beef, dairy, goats, horticulture, pigs, poultry, sheep and apiculture are eligible for support but equine (including grazing horses) and forestry (including woodland-only owners) are NOT eligible for support under FBG.

Farmers can apply until June 29 through RPW Online.

The fifth window for application will run from August 6 to October 5, 2018.