The Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare grant round one comes to an end in 2 weeks’ time on 18 September.
The NFU has provided information about who is eligible to apply. This grant will be available for housing for laying hens and pullets.
The grant forms part of Defra’s Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, which aims to deliver the agreed health and welfare priorities for the laying hen sector.
It can be applied for to fund replacement housing or to or upgrade and refurbish existing laying hen or pullet housing. The fund can be used to add a veranda onto existing laying hen or pullet housing.
As with other recent large Defra grants, producers can use an online checker to check the strength of their project and make an initial online application.
The grant for comprehensive projects is competitive, so your application will be scored against the aforementioned funding priorities. The grant for veranda-only projects is on a first-come first-serve basis, the NFU notes.
There is a budget of £22m allocated to this grant.
Grants can cover up to a maximum rate of 40% of the eligible costs of a project. Applicants will need to be able to fund the remaining project costs from eligible sources.
The detail of the grant and application process is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laying-hen-housing-for-health-and-welfare-grant-round-1/about-the-laying-hen-housing-for-health-and-welfare-grant-round-1-who-can-apply-and-what-the-grant-can-pay-for