The 2026 round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) was open for applications between 17 March and 12 May. The scheme offered £50 million to farmers, growers, foresters and contractors in England to invest in new equipment and technology across three themes: productivity, animal health and welfare, and slurry management. Popular items across previous rounds have included heat-detection ear tags, collars and nipple drinkers for livestock; direct drills and cover-crop air drills for arable systems; and low-emission slurry equipment such as dribble bars and slurry separators.

Defra has confirmed that this was the final standalone round of the FETF in its current form, with elements expected to be incorporated into a new, more streamlined grant offer in 2027.

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) provided capital grants for small rural businesses, farm diversification projects and community infrastructure in eligible areas of England. It operated as a rural top-up to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and succeeded the EU-funded LEADER and Growth Programme. Funding was distributed by eligible local authorities, which set their own priorities, eligibility criteria and application windows, meaning the support available varied considerably between areas. Typical projects included rural business development and diversification, shared workspaces and business hubs, visitor economy improvements, and enhancements to community facilities and rural infrastructure. Funded projects have ranged from a family farm building an on-farm butchery and farm shop to sell its own meat, to a soft-fruit grower creating a pack-house and product-development kitchen, and the conversion of redundant farm buildings into visitor accommodation, cafés and event venues.

The final round provided £33 million for delivery in 2025–26, and the REPF closed on 31 March 2026. No direct rural successor has been confirmed. The Government’s new Local Growth Fund, announced at the 2025 Spending Review, is focused on specific mayoral city regions in the North and Midlands and does not extend to rural non-mayoral areas. Any remaining REPF-funded projects continue to be delivered locally by the relevant authority.

Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) provides grant funding for projects within National Parks, National Landscapes (formerly Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and the Broads in England. It is not an agri-environment scheme; it funds one-off projects rather than ongoing land management agreements.

The scheme supports farmers and land managers in delivering projects that:

• Support nature recovery
• Mitigate and adapt to climate change
• Protect and enhance cultural heritage
• Improve access to and enjoyment of landscapes

Examples of funded work include hedgerow and boundary restoration with stock fencing and field water supplies to enable rotational grazing; herbal ley establishment to improve soil health and reduce fertiliser use; and the restoration of dry-stone walls, traditional barns and permissive access paths.

FiPL is delivered locally by protected landscape bodies, with funding awarded on a competitive, project-by-project basis, meaning priorities and application processes vary by location. At the Oxford Farming Conference in January 2026, Defra confirmed a three-year extension of the programme through to March 2029, with £30 million allocated for 2026/27.

Standalone Capital Grants form part of the Environmental Land Management (ELM) framework and are delivered by the Rural Payments Agency through the Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants offer. The Capital Grants 2026 scheme has now closed; £225 million was available to support discrete capital works that improve water and air quality, manage flood risk, restore boundaries, and establish trees, hedgerows and traditional orchards.

Eligible items are grouped into the established themes of water quality, air quality, natural flood management, and boundaries, trees and orchards, alongside assessments and improvements. The most popular items funded to date include new hedgerow planting (more than 1,200km supported last year), concrete yard renewal to improve slurry and effluent management (more than 800 renewed), and tree, orchard and fruit-tree planting.

The Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS) is Scottish Government capital funding designed to help farmers, crofters and growers invest in equipment, technology and on-farm infrastructure that improve productivity, efficiency and environmental performance. It supports the modernisation and resilience objectives of the Rural Support Plan 2026–2031 and complements the wider package of base and elective support during the transition to Scotland’s new four-tier framework. The scheme supports investments such as upgrading livestock management infrastructure and electronic identification (EID) equipment, improving soil quality and water efficiency, and creating hedgerows.

Round 1 opened in 2025 and was significantly oversubscribed, with 7,584 applications received against an initial £14 million budget. In response, the Scottish Government uplifted the available funding to £21.4 million, providing grants of up to £20,000 per business at a 100% grant rate to support eligible capital investments.

Round 2 has been confirmed in the Scottish Budget 2026–27, with £14.25 million allocated. The opening date has not yet been published, and the Scottish Government has indicated that scheme design and eligibility may be refined following Round 1 feedback before applications open. Further updates are expected in due course.

For full eligibility, scheme details and the latest position on Round 2, please refer to the Rural Payments and Services FFIS guidance.