Stuart Anderson MP is encouraging farmers from across South Shropshire to apply for a “final standalone grant” from the government's Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF), which first opened to applications under the previous Conservative government in 2022.
- Farmers have until midday on Tuesday 12th May 2026 to apply for a grant.
- It is the final standalone grant of the scheme in its current form.
- Farmers have also been left out of a scheme to cut industrial energy bills.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“Supporting our farmers is a key part of my plan for South Shropshire. So, I am greatly disappointed that farmers have been excluded from a government scheme which will cut electricity bills by a quarter for tens of thousands of businesses in many sectors - but not agriculture. I am also encouraging farmers to apply for a final standalone grant from the Technology and Equipment Fund by the deadline of 12th May 2026. Created by the last Conservative government, it has supported thousands of farming businesses but is now being ended, as the government review its grant schemes. It follows cuts of £100 million to farming and countryside programmes last July.”
Farmers have until midday on Tuesday 12th May 2026 to apply for a grant from the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. This year, £50 million has been made available through the Fund, which aims to improve productivity, animal health and welfare, and slurry management. Under the latest iteration of the scheme, farmers can for grants between £1,000 and £25,000 per theme. The Fund is part of the Farming Investment Fund, which was announced as part of the Agricultural Transition Plan of November 2020. Launched in 2022, it has awarded over £124.5 million to 30,200 applicants - improving farm productivity and benefitting the natural environment.
However, the government has announced that the latest round of funding is the “final standalone grant” of the scheme in its current form. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is reviewing its grant schemes, with an aim to simplify and better target funding from 2027. Stuart is worried that it will stifle innovation on farms, with Minister Angela Eagle having promoted the scheme as a key way in which the government is helping farmers to "adopt new technology, cut emissions and boost productivity" in a written response to a formal parliamentary question tabled by Stuart in February.
Since taking power, the government has cut farming and countryside programmes by £100 million and imposed caps on many more schemes. Stuart is "greatly disappointed" that farmers have also been excluded from a government scheme which will cut electricity bills by a quarter for tens of thousands of businesses in other sectors. In April, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) will cut bills by up to 25% for over 10,000 manufacturers from April 2027, with an additional payment next year to 3,000 businesses. However, Stuart is disappointed that farmers have been excluded from the scheme, which was announced in the Modern Industrial Strategy last year. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) have said that the decision is a “missed opportunity” to strengthen national food security.
In a press statement, NFU President Tom Bradshaw added:
“It is deeply frustrating that food has been forgotten again by the government despite acknowledging the crippling impact of high energy costs on other industries. Parts of the horticulture sector, for example, are incredibly energy-intensive growing tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in heated glasshouses, and are grappling with the same global price volatility as any factory – yet are being left to face these surging costs alone.”
