Farming Investment Fund update
DEFRA has now provided more information on the Farming Investment Fund, a grant funding vehicle for on farm investment. It is due to be launched in the Autumn and will be available to farmers and agricultural and forestry contractors.
It comprises the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, the lower value investment part of the fund and the Farming Transformation Fund, the higher value investment part of the fund.
The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund
The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund will provide smaller grants to improve business performance. Farmers can apply for a grant to buy items from a set list of equipment, technology and small infrastructure investments. It is based on the current Countryside Productivity Small Grant scheme but the list of equipment is presently under review and will be refreshed ahead of the Fund being launched.
The Farming Transformation Fund
Grants awarded from The Farming Transformation Fund will support larger or more complicated investments. We await the detail but DEFRA has provided the following list of items which might be awarded grant funding:
- on-farm water storage infrastructure, including reservoirs
- precision agriculture equipment (for example, low emission and variable-rate nutrient or pesticide application)
- robotic or automated technology
- equipment and technology for storing, sorting, or processing products
For further information, please contact the rural team:
Jonathan Booth
Esther Goodhew
Dan Page
Alan Mummery
Katie Hurley
Director
Jonathan Booth
BA (Hons) MSc MRICS FAAV
Jon hails from a family with close connections to the farming community in Kent. After 10 years working in London he returned to his roots by joining Lambert & Foster in 2014, having completed a Masters in Rural Estate Management at the Royal Agricultural University. By 2017 he had qualified as a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers and as a Registered Valuer. Jon now advises clients on a broad range of professional matters, including Valuation, Estate Management, the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship Scheme, Rural Grants and Compulsory Purchase and Compensation. Outside of work Jon is kept busy with two young daughters but can be found on the hockey or cricket field when time allows!
Paddock Wood:01892 832 325
Senior Associate
Esther Goodhew
MSc MRICS FAAV
Director
Dan Page
BSc (Hons) PGDipSurv MRICS FAAV FBIAC FNAEA
Dan grew up and worked on his family beef and lamb farm in West Kent before completing his undergraduate Geography degree at the University of Bristol in 2006. Having worked for 13 years at a Sussex based Chartered Surveying Firm, Dan moved to Lambert & Foster in 2020. Dan qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 2010 and as a Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers in 2011. Having advised clients on a range of rural professional and agency matters, Dan now tends to specialise in rural and agricultural planning, as well as valuation, utility and compensation work. Dan is also an RICS Registered Valuer and a Fellow of the British Institute of Agricultural Consultants (BIAC) and a Fellow of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).
Outside of work, Dan has a young family which keep him rather busy, but when time allows, Dan is a keen cyclist and runner and likes nothing more than a cycle tour of a European mountain range, or more closer to home, taking the kids on a few laps of Bedgebury Forest!
Phone:01435 873 999
Director
Alan Mummery
MRICS FAAV
Alan is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS), a RICS Registered Valuer and a fellow of the Central Agricultural Association of Valuers (CAAV).
From a farming family in East Kent, Alan joined Lambert & Foster in 1986. He leads the Farm Agency and Auction teams as well as undertaking specialist rural valuations for lending, tax and litigation purposes. Outside of work Alan maintains his farming interests and is a keen sports fan.
Phone:01892 832 325
Director
Katie Hurley
MRICS FAAV
Katie joined Lambert & Foster in 2010 after completing a Masters in Rural Estate Management at the Royal Agricultural University. She is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) a RICS Registered Valuer and a fellow of the Central Agricultural Association of Valuers (CAAV). Katie specialises in rural planning and valuations, carrying out work for Secured Lending, Tax and Planning purposes.
Katie lives on her family farm in East Kent where they farm a mix of arable, sheep and beef with a pedigree Sussex herd. Outside of work Katie is a keen tennis player and enjoys outdoor pursuits.
Paddock Wood:01892 832 325