UK Wide Grants
Roofing For Silage Clamps
There is government support available for silage clamp roofing available through Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier, Higher Tier and Capital Grants.
You can check the eligibility for roofing a silage clamp here: https://www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants/roofing-sprayer-washdown-area-manure-storage-area-livestock-gathering-area-slurry-stores-silage-stores-rp28
Regarding silage clamps this means:
- Build a roof structure impermeable to rainwater
- Install guttering and drains to direct roof water to a clean water drain
- Make sure that drainage works meet any building and local authority requirements
- Meet the requirements of the silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil (SSAFO) regulations 2010
- Meet relevant British Standards – examine copies of the most up-to-date standards for guidance
To move forward with the above funding, you will need to contact your local Catchment Sensitive Farming Advisor.
ARK Agriculture sees this as a great opportunity to construct new silage clamps using our sloping or vertical wall options with the added benefit of a roof.
When building a new silage clamp with a roof the same principles apply to the walls as with any silage clamp– this means understanding loadings, fill heights, silage densities and tractor weights.
Conventional roofed silage clamp designs built to the British Standards (which are widely considered to be out of date) are not likely to be suitable for the weight of modern farm machinery.
Putting a roof on a clamp will not change this and the failing walls could collapse the roof, so we advise you get in touch with us in the first instance.
Countryside Productivity Grant Scheme
Since leaving the EU the UK government has committed to continuing the Countryside Productivity Grant Scheme – this is a scheme that offers smaller grants to enhance the productivity of UK agriculture.
Clear info on how and what this will cover will be released shortly, although expectations are it could cover capital investment like silage clamps.
Wales
The sustainable production grant for Wales (window 7) runs from March 2021 onwards. These grants cover a lot of capital items which also includes silage clamps.
You can read more about the grants here https://gov.wales/sustainable-production-grant-window-7
And more about the specific grant items here – silage clamps fall into section SP58 and the ARK system complies with these rules. (i.e British Standard and SSAFO compliance). https://gov.wales/sustainable-production-grant-window-7-list-eligible-capital-items
To learn more about these grants please get in touch with ARK Agriculture.
Water Boards
There is an onus on water companies across the UK to support farmers in the protection of watercourses. This funding is project-specific and can cover a range of items (including silage clamps), the relevance to your site will depend on its location and the water companies’ catchment area.
A good example of such a scheme is the ‘Up Stream Thinking’ project run by South West Water.
Or the STEPS programme run by Severn Trent Water – this scheme match funds up to a value of £10,000 – again these grants are site and project-specific.
ARK Agri is keen to keep our customers up to date with current grant options, if you know of any other available grants or you would like to find out more about we can help you claim a grant to construct new silage clamps please get in touch.
01206 585090