Animal Health and Welfare Infrastructure Grant
This grant is specifically designed to support the construction, renovation, or replacement of buildings dedicated to housing calves aged between 0 and 6 months. The buildings must be permanent and securely attached to a foundation, intended for use for at least 5 years.
Applicants can apply for a minimum of £15,000 and a maximum of £500,000. The grant will cover up to 40% of eligible project costs. This opportunity is available exclusively in England.
To be eligible for this grant, applicants must either own the land or hold a tenancy agreement for a minimum of five years. Please note that work cannot commence until the date specified in the Grant funding agreement, which will be provided upon successful application.
Additionally, the grant supports the installation of solar panels, with up to 25% of the cost being eligible for grant support.
If upgrading the electricity supply, the eligible cost must be directly related to the project, and detailed evidence of the power requirement must be provided in the full application
Buildings Specifications:
- A-Frame building with four walls
- Mono-pitch building with 3 walls and 1 open side
- Permanent Open Sided structure with igloos or hutches
- Other types of buildings will also be considered
Project Requirements:
- Calves must not be kept separate from 7 days of age (exceptions allowed for isolation periods).
- The housing environment must be suitable and conducive to the well-being of the calves.
- Calves must not share airspace or be downwind of older cattle (6+ months), including cattle accommodation, feeding areas, milking parlours, collecting yards, outdoor housing systems, feedlots, corrals, and outwintering pads.
Calf Housing Specifications: Calf housing must adhere to the following criteria:
- Minimum floor area of 3 square meters (m2) per calf for calves under 100 kilograms (kg), 4m2 per calf for calves between 100kg and 150kg, and 5m2 per calf for calves heavier than 150kg. This includes bedded laying areas, standing areas, feeding, and drinking areas.
- Solid, concrete flooring.
- Sloped flooring with a 1 in 20 (5%) gradient in bedded areas, sloping towards a drain or drainage channel.
- Cereal straw bedding.
- Permanent external calf height walls or barriers measuring at least 1.2 meters (m) high (height may vary depending on calf size and bedding depth) to protect from draughts.
- At least one enrichment item for every pair or group of calves to ensure their physical and psychological well-being, such as hanging balls or brushes.
- Temperature and humidity sensor data loggers are capable of autonomously recording data over a defined period and storing it for later viewing.
- Fitted artificial lighting at a minimum of 50 lumens for each square meter (lux).
- At least 2 waterproof IP66 electrical sockets, with 1 located at each end of the building.
The grant covers various aspects of the project, including structures, fixtures, fittings, delivery and installation of eligible items, and rooftop-mounted PV solar panels (only applicable for new or upgraded calf housing). It also includes supporting equipment and structures for PV solar panels, such as solar racking, DC to AC power inverters, performance monitoring systems, and storage (including solar batteries and grid connection costs). One-off alterations to the electrical or water supply to adapt or upgrade buildings to accommodate new equipment or drinking facilities are also eligible for funding.
