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Perhaps the most notable changes to the list of eligible expenditure in the third tranche of the Tier 1 grant scheme is the weighting given to slurry scraping systems, and the additional items classed as low-emission slurry spreading equipment (LESSE).
In the second tranche of the scheme, slurry scrapers were listed as band 2 items (34 marks), but they are now listed in the top band, attracting 46 marks.
It reflects the fact that the emphasis has shifted since the last tranche was opened in January 2018, with a new focus on equipment that can help reduce problem ammonia emissions.
The inevitable consequence of that is the grant funding available in the scheme is again likely to be utilised by larger livestock farms.
It is also likely that the £7.5m scheme will again be over-subscribed
In the first two tranches of the scheme, few applicants farmed less than 30 hectares, and over 40% of those successful were dairy farmers.
A similar outcome is almost inevitable in tranche 3.
It is also likely that the £7.5m scheme will again be over-subscribed, which brings the points scoring system into play.
In tranche 2, a successful applicant needed to score over 83 points, so even if they ticked all the other boxes, they still needed marks under the value-for-money criteria. In effect, the maximum grant paid out was just over 35%, not the headline 40% rate.
Additional marks
If you went for a band 2 item, you had to achieve an additional six marks from the value-for-money criteria, so a successful applicant had a maximum grant rate of around 34%.
When it comes to items now listed in bands 3 and 4, such as meal bins, livestock trailers, diet feeders, grass tedders and toppers, assuming a similar level of interest to last time, farmers have little option but to maximise the value-for-money points score. In fact, if the minimum points score is again at 83, all band 4 items are out, no matter what.
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