Between £35,000 and £1,000,000 are available for poultry farmers applying to the Rural Payments agency through the Countryside Productivity Scheme.

What the grant will fund
These grants are only for systems that can:

• remove at least 85 per cent of the moisture from a poultry litter, and
• reuse captured waste heat to dry poultry litter or heat housing units (using heat exchangers)

Optional Equipment

Applicants can also seek funding for the cost of installing the system, for a heat exchanger, and for any supporting:

• water tanks
• pumps
• pipes
• recirculation units, or
• pipes to deliver and distribute warm air (from the hot water) to the poultry units

Applicants need to use heat pumps to capture and reuse heat from the biomass boiler to reheat the poultry housing units (through the existing ventilation system).

Costs that are not eligible for funding

Funding for poultry litter drying systems does not include:

• toploaders or other machinery used to collect manure and load it into the dryer
• equipment for using the generated heat or water outside the applicant’s agricultural production facilities (such as for the applicant’s home), or
• biomass boilers

Also read a list of costs that are not eligible for any Countryside Productivity grants.

How to Apply

Read the overview about how to apply for Countryside Productivity grants.
Applicants need to:

• register with the Rural Payments online service (if they have not already done so)
• complete an outline application form
• send it to the RPA – read about how to send applications

If an outline application is successful, RPA will send applicants a large grant full application form. Applicants should send this to RPA, along with supporting evidence.

Evidence to Send with an Application

If invited to fill out a full application for a poultry litter drying systems grant, applicants must send:

• the business’s energy bills for the last year
• a summary of the business’s energy usage during the last year
• supplier literature or quote that shows the moisture removal efficiency of the proposed project
• calculations that show how much energy will be saved if a grant is obtained, and
• proof that the applicant has a suitable biomass boiler for burning poultry litter on the site, or proof that they will install one with the poultry litter drying system

Applicants must also send a dimensioned plan of the site showing the location of:

• the poultry housing unit
• the proposed litter drying system
• the biomass boiler, and
• the heat exchanger and any associated equipment

Also read what evidence to send with any Countryside Productivity large grant full application.

After Applying

Find out:

1. what happens after applying
2. what to do if an application is successful
3. what to do if an application is unsuccessful