2026 Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) grants
Farmers in England have from 17 March until midday on 28 April 2026 to make an application under the 2026 Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) grant scheme.
Defra has said this will be the final round of FETF in its current form, as it will be revamping its grants offering for 2027.
What does the FETF fund?
The scheme provides grants for machinery, equipment and technology items which will help to cut costs and drive efficiency on farm.
As with previous rounds, funding is available to farmers in England under three themes – farm productivity, slurry management and animal health and welfare.
There is a choice of 70 different options under the farm productivity theme, 17 under slurry management and over 100 under animal health and welfare.
In 2025, over 8,800 grants were offered to applicants.
Since the scheme’s launch back in 2021 the most popular items based on the numbers funded have been:
LIVESTOCK
| Item | Numbers funded since launch |
| Heat detection system ear tag, collar or ankle band | 113,160 |
| Nipple drinker system | 68,660 |
| Cow mattresses | 31,810 |
| Rubber flooring mats for cattle | 27,260 |
| Flexible cubicle divider | 16,860 |
ARABLE
| Item | Numbers funded since launch |
| Direct drill 6m | 720 |
| Direct drill 3m | 479 |
| Direct drill with fertiliser placement 3m | 442 |
| Air drill for establishing cover crops | 253 |
| Variable rate controller for seed drills, sprayers and fertiliser spreaders | 219 |
Source: Defra
Other popular items have included LED lights for poultry housing, blinds for livestock housing and cameras for either monitoring livestock or farmyards.
How much are grants worth?
A total budget of £50m is available, with individual farmers able to apply for up to £25,000 under each of the three themes. This means that, in theory, a single farming business could secure as much as £75,000.
But the scheme is competitive and so funding is not guaranteed. Each item carries a pre-assigned score, and applications are ranked accordingly, with funding allocated to those achieving the highest scores first.
While some applicants and options benefited from ‘scoring uplifts’ last year, these will not apply in 2026.
The grant is designed to cover 40-50% of the cost of each item, with farmers needing to fund the rest.
How to prepare
Preparation is key as the application window is short.
The application portal for the FETF is not the main Rural Payments Agency system – instead applicants need to be registered on the Farming Investment Fund Service platform.
Unlike with many other land-based grant schemes, this service requires information about the agricultural business in order to complete the application.
Gathering the necessary information can take time, so early preparation should help to avoid delays.
Talking through the options with an advisor early on can also help farmers choose the right investments and improve their chances of a successful application given the competitive nature of the scheme.
Read the full list of eligible items available under the productivity theme, slurry management or animal health and welfare. If you would like any more information or help with making an FETF application, please do get in contact with Natalie Gaibani.
