The principal recommendation from the Agri-Food Strategy Board is finally under way, with Minister for Agriculture Michelle McIlveen announcing the opening of the capital grant element of the Farm Business Improvement Scheme (FBIS) earlier this week.

It is now over four years since the Agri-Food Strategy Board was appointed, over three years since it produced its Going for Growth report and over two years since the Government provided a detailed response. It is therefore understandable that board chair Tony O’Neill voiced his frustration at the slow pace of Government decision-making on a recent visit to Stormont. He pointed the finger at a fear factor among civil servants of MLAs on the Stormont public accounts committee. That did not go down well in some quarters, and probably the delays are due to a range of factors within the machinery of Government. But no doubt, O’Neill has a point.

As reported here, Tier 1 of the capital grant scheme is open to applications now. However, Tier 2, for major capital projects with a grant up to £250,000 will not open until December. When it does open, do not be surprised by the level of detail, business planning and management required to avail of the scheme – the end result will be a project built to a high specification, but it really is targeted at a new unit, not a few cubicles down one side of a silo.

With the list of eligible items under Tier 1 now published, it perhaps brings into reality that it also requires quite a significant investment by an individual farm business. The minimum investment is £5,000 for £2,000 of grant. A lot of the eligible items on the list are nice to have and potentially could have a positive impact on the business, but with cash tight on farms, it is investment that perhaps could be put off until a second tranche opens in autumn 2017.