DAERA to launch second Tranche of Tier 1 of the Farm Business Improvement Scheme-Capital
Date published:
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has announced it will launch the second Tranche of Tier 1 of the Farm Business Improvement Scheme - Capital (FBIS-C) - week commencing 11 December 2017, to give interested farmers and growers time to prepare in advance of the Scheme opening for applications on 4 January 2018. Tier 1 will close for applications at 4pm on 2 February 2018.
Tier 1 of FBIS-C is designed to support smaller scale investments that will improve the sustainability of farm businesses. It will support the purchase of equipment and machinery, costing from £5,000 to £30,000, from a list of eligible items.
More information on the Scheme and how to apply will be available mid-December on the DAERA website at https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/farm-business-improvement-scheme or the Countryside Services Limited website at: www.countrysideservices.com.
This will include information on Scheme documentation, eligibility and selection criteria, and a revised list of eligible items. Grant support under this tranche will be subject to budget availability.
Notes to editors:
1. It is envisaged that the second Tranche of Tier 1 of FBIS-Capital will have a budget of £7.5 million, subject to budget availability in 2018-19.
2. Further information on the FBIS-Capital Scheme will be made available on the DAERA website in the week beginning 11 December 2017 when the second Tranche of Tier 1 of the Scheme is launched.
3. Under the first Tranche of Tier 1, almost 1,200 farmers have received grant aid amounting to almost £5.5 million to date, with total claims worth nearly £7.2m. This represents an investment in the rural economy in the region of £18 million. The second Tranche of Tier 1 will build on the success of the first.
4. A second Tranche of Tier 2 of FBIS-Capital is also planned, but it is not possible at this stage to be specific about the timing. Decisions on this will be subject to a review of the lessons learned from the first Tranche and funding availability.
5. FBIS-C Tier 1 is delivered by Countryside Services Limited on behalf of DAERA.
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