Calf Housing for Health & Welfare Grant for Works 2023

DEFRA announced the Calf Housing for Health and Welfare grant scheme for England on 26 July 2023 and is due to be launched later this summer.

What is the grant?

This new grant is offered under the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway (AHWP) to farmers to support new, upgrade or replace existing calf housing where this will provide better health and welfare benefits to calves (up to 6 months old).

Who is eligible?

The building itself must be permanent to be used for a minimum of 5 years beyond the completion of the project. There is an additional provision for fitting solar panels to the new housing, where the roof can support them as part of the project or for future use.

The eligibility criteria for the scheme are as follows:

• You must be an existing cattle farmer in England (not a new cattle farmer).
• You must be carrying out farming activities, including calf rearing.
• You must have 11 or more cattle.
• You must own the land you want to build or hold a tenancy with at least five years left to run.

How much is the grant?

The minimum grant you can apply for is £15,000, and the maximum is £500,000 per applicant business. The minimum grant amount does not include costs associated with the rooftop solar panels. Grants can be made to cover up to 40% of the project’s eligible cost. If you have rooftop Solar Panels as part of your project, you will only be funded for the purchase and installation of these up to 20% of the eligible costs. The farmer must cover any remaining project costs.

How do you apply?

The application process involves a competitive three-stage process which does require an initial discussion with a vet (but can be done through a funded Annual Health and Welfare Review).

If you are considering putting up new calf housing or improving existing buildings, please get in touch with your local Farm & Rural Team, who would be happy to help.

Salisbury 01722 424515

Marlborough 01672 515252

Shaftesbury 01747 852242