Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme (FFIS)

The FFIS is part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) and is a scheme of support, developed to help farming, forestry and horticultural businesses in England to become more efficient at using resources. This scheme aims to help make your business more profitable and resilient whilst reducing the impact of farming on the environment.

Round 2 of the Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme (FFIS) has now been launched and applicants are advised to read the Applicant Handbook very carefully as some of the conditions and eligible items have changed since Round 1.

• Round 2 Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme Handbook

The application form for Round 2 will be available to download from this page on 22 May 2012. The round will close at 5:00pm on Tuesday July 17 2012. Applications received after this date will not be processed.

Please note that under no circumstances will we accept applications submitted on Round 1 application forms.

The maximum grant per business is £25,000 over the lifetime of FFIS and the minimum grant is £2,500. Only items listed in the Applicant Handbook are eligible for funding and grant rates vary between 15% and 50% depending on the item and applicant location. There are 5 themes in FFIS:-

• Nutrient management;
• Energy efficiency;
• Water management;
• Animal health and welfare; and
• Forestry

For an application to be processed we must receive a fully completed, signed hard copy of the application, an electronic copy and all supporting documentation by 5:00pm on Tuesday 17 July 2012. Supporting documentation includes quotes, a declaration form signed by all partners in the business (or a company director and company secretary in the case of limited companies), copies of 2 years of full trading accounts, and relevant thematic documentation such as animal health and welfare plan summary, energy bills or water bills.

Full details of the documentation required are in the Applicant Handbook so please read it carefully.

For any queries that cannot be answered by the handbook, then you can try the Frequently Asked Questions. If you are still unsure then you can email your relevant local delivery team. Please only telephone if your query is extremely urgent.

• Full contact details of the FFIS RDPE delivery team.