Eligible and ineligible items

What you can and cannot buy.

Eligible items

The grant can be used to pay for the following:

Robotics and innovation

For the purposes of this scheme robotics is defined as autonomous equipment which performs all 4 of the following functions in a continuous loop:

  • sensing the environment in which it operates

  • understanding its environment from what it has sensed

  • planning what it needs to do from what it has understood

  • controlling the operation/process it has decided needs to be done (including controlling of actuators which may or may not be part of the eligible project costs).

The list of eligible items is as follows:

  • robotic harvesting equipment

  • robotic weeding equipment

  • robotic spraying equipment

  • autonomous driverless tractors or platforms

  • voluntary robotic milking system

  • robotic feeding systems

  • robotic transplanting

  • advanced ventilation control units

  • wavelength specific LED lighting for horticultural crops.

Other autonomous robotic technology that is not included in the list above will also be considered. For this equipment to be considered eligible it needs to have all the following:

  • a sensing system

  • ability to understand its environment

  • decision making capability to plan

  • control actuators (the devices that move robot joints).

If your online application is for ‘other autonomous robotic technology’ we will assess whether it is eligible before the project is invited to apply for a full application.

Fossil fuel powered equipment

Reducing environmental impacts is a key aim of the scheme. Therefore, robotic equipment utilising an electric or renewable energy source will be prioritised over fossil fuel (for example diesel) powered equipment. Biofuels are considered as renewable energy under this scheme.

Further detail regarding the description and eligibility requirements of all the above items can be found at Annex 1 of this manual.

If you wish to discuss the eligibility of any robotic equipment contact [email protected] and include full details of the equipment.

You need to make sure that adequate monitoring and maintenance agreements for any grant funded items is in place to cover the 5-year period of any potential grant funding agreement. Equipment that does not have a lifespan of 5 years or more would be ineligible under this scheme.

Slurry – Mild acidification equipment

Equipment which lowers the pH value of slurry using acid treatment to stabilise the ammonia, thereby increasing the availability of nutrients for plants, and reducing ammonia emissions. For a system to be eligible the following 4 items need to be present:

  • acid storage

  • dosing equipment

  • mixing tank

  • pump.

Installation and commissioning of the above equipment is eligible. The cost of installing pipes and pumps necessary for the system to operate are also eligible.

The following equipment (also available under the FETF scheme) is only eligible under this scheme if it is purchased in conjunction with mild acidification equipment as detailed above:

  • shallow injection

  • trailing shoe

  • dribble bar

  • real time inline nutrient analysis of slurry.

Further detail about additional slurry equipment and eligibility requirements can be found at Annex 2 of this manual.

Other eligible costs

  • Installation and commissioning of the above items is eligible.

  • Alterations to the electrical supply within the holding to accommodate the installation of the equipment is eligible. For example, additional wiring from the distribution board.

  • Upgrade of electricity supply to the holding is eligible (as long as this doesn’t add up to more than 10% of the project’s total eligible costs). However, the eligible cost must be related to the project that will be undertaken. For example, if the project requires an additional 100 Kw of electrical supply and the new supply is 200 Kw, only half of the cost will be eligible. There needs to be clear detailed evidence of the power requirement of the project in the full application.

  • Installation of an electric charging point is eligible for electric powered mobile robotic equipment only.

Costs which are not eligible

The following are not eligible for grant funding (this list is not exhaustive):

Agricultural Business Costs

  • normal agricultural inputs like livestock and fertiliser

  • agricultural production rights and payment entitlements

General costs

  • projects that are carried out only to meet a legal requirement

  • any costs incurred before the project start date shown in the grant funding agreement

  • contingency costs

  • the cost of getting any permissions, consents or statutory requirements, such as planning permission

  • legal costs

  • supervising engineers and inspecting engineers’ fees

  • any items which you have already had EU or national funding for (or intend to get national funding for)

  • relocation costs – if the business needs to relocate in order to expand

  • costs associated with the provision of housing

  • marketing and promotion

Buildings, land, and equipment costs

  • construction of new buildings or conversions of existing buildings including flooring for robotic milking parlours

  • repairs and maintenance of existing buildings, equipment, and machinery

  • like-for-like replacement of existing items (such as buildings, equipment, and machinery)

  • equipment used solely for the packing and processing of eggs, fruit, and vegetables

  • crop storage or equipment to aid crop storage

  • slurry lagoons and above ground slurry stores

  • manure storage

  • irrigation projects

  • purchase of machinery or equipment that will not be on the asset register of the business 5 years after completion of the project for example, equipment with life expectancy of less than 5 years

  • equipment which would be supplementary to the robotic or autonomous operation that would normally be considered as standard agricultural equipment for example, seed drill, ventilation fans

  • purchase of land, whether or not this land is built on

  • renewable heat and energy systems

Business running costs

  • salaries and running costs of the business

  • in-kind contributions (this means the value of donated work or services) such as the cost of using your own labour, vehicle, and office space

  • recurring monthly or annual licence fees, subscriptions, and service charges

  • computers, software, and printers used in the general running of the business, like processing orders or accounts

  • mobile phones

Financial costs

  • bad debts

  • advance payments

  • insurance policy costs

  • working capital

  • financial charges, such as bank charges, fines, and interest

  • costs connected with a leasing contract, such as a lessor’s margin, interest refinancing costs, overheads, and insurance charges

  • reclaimable VAT

  • pension provision.