Poots invites Expressions of Interest for £12million Tier 2 of FBIS Capital

An Expression of Interest stage for the second tranche of Tier 2 of the Farm Business Improvement Scheme - Capital (FBIS-C) has been launched by agriculture Minister Edwin Poots.

This tranche of Tier 2, worth up to £12million, will support transformational investment in on-farm projects costing in excess of £30,000. Funding is provided at a grant rate of 40% of eligible costs, with £250,000 the maximum grant available under the FBIS-Capital scheme.

The Minister made the announcement during a visit to the farm of vegetable grower Mr Roy Lyttle in Newtownards, Co.Down, who benefited from the first tranche of Tier 2 of the Farm Business Improvement scheme by construction of a dedicated cold store and covered loading area.

Only those farm businesses which submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) will be eligible to submit a full application for Tier 2 tranche 2 later in the year, and will be invited to training webinars ahead of the application stage.

The Expression of Interest form seeks information on the type of investment planned, approximate total costs and potential time for completion, and must be submitted before 4.00pm on 13 August 2021.

Announcing the Expression of Interest stage, Minister Poots said: “I am pleased to announce the re-opening of Tier 2 FBIS-Capital.  In order to gauge the number and range of farmers and growers who are ready to make a significant investment to transform their business, I am inviting potential applicants to submit an Expression of Interest at this stage.

“The information received will enable my Department to consider interest in a second tranche of Tier 2 at this time. Therefore this is a mandatory step. I would encourage potential applicants to read the guidance notes online and if they feel they are ready to invest, complete an Expression of Interest form or if necessary contact my Department with any eligibility queries before submitting the form."

Successful applicants under Tier 2 tranche 2 will have a maximum of one year to complete their project. The Expression of Interest stage will help determine the scale and scope of the full application stage for Tier 2 tranche 2.

Download further information on the FBIS-C Tier 2.

Notes to editors: 

1. Photo caption - DAERA Minister Edwin Poots (left) visits Co Down farmer Roy Lyttle to see how his vegetable growing business benefited from the first tranche of Tier 2 of the Farm Business Improvement scheme with the construction of a dedicated cold store and covered loading area.
2. The focus of Tier 2 is on larger-scale investment to encourage a step change in the agriculture and horticulture sectors, and to drive transformational investment in future proofed, fit-for-purpose, modern infrastructure and equipment, guided by a robust business planning process within assisted farms.
3. Tier 2 is for projects costing from £30,000 - unlimited (within the overall maximum grant limit of £250,000 available under the NI Rural Development Programme 2014-20) and is primarily for construction projects and the purchase of higher value equipment linked to the needs in the farmer’s business plan.
4. Anyone interested in applying to FBIS-Capital Tier 2 tranche 2 must first complete the EoI stage in order to be eligible to subsequently make a full application.
5. The EoI stage does not constitute a definite commitment from the Department to open up applications to Tier 2 tranche 2. The Department will assess the information received from the Expressions of Interest before a final decision is made on whether to launch the application stage.
6. Applicants to Tier 2 will be required to submit a separate robust, viable and sustainable business plan as part of their full application, which shows that they have carefully planned their investment and what difference the proposed project will make in transforming their farm into a more sustainable, efficient and safer business.
7. All projects which involve construction or renovation of buildings will require planning permission or a certificate of lawful development to be in place before a full application is submitted.
8. Advice on the application process for Tier 2 applications to Tranche 1 of the FBIS – Capital Scheme is available on the DAERA website.
9. It is envisaged that the second Tranche of Tier 2 of FBIS-Capital will have a budget of £12million, subject to budget availability and a decision on the launch of the full application stage.
10. Any further capital support under Tier 2 will take into account any further guidance developed by the Department on ammonia reduction and mitigation, and would be subject to funding availability.  DAERA is working to develop a comprehensive and proportionate package of measures on ammonia and hope to consult on a strategy later this year.
11. All media queries should be directed to the DAERA Press Office.
12. Follow DAERA on Twitter and Facebook.
13. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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