If you're a farmer in England, you can get up to 30% off a Cotter Crate, 50% off Automed Dosing Guns and 50% off Weigh heads & EID readers through the Animal Health and Welfare section of the 2025 Farm Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF). Full detail of the scheme here.
Snapshot of the key info:
- Competitive grant, applicants will not automatically get a grant.
- Each application can be for min £1,000 and max £25,000
- RPA will pay you a grant amount of 50% towards either: the FETF listed cost of the item (if it costs you the same or more than the cost on the FETF list) or the actual cost (if less than the cost on the FETF list)
- The relevant cost is the item ex VAT
- You may apply for an item that you’ve applied for under previous FETF grants. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will ask you to explain why you need the item. RPA will tell you if this can be included or not. You must keep items that have been funded by FETF grants for 5 years from the date your claim was paid.
Scoring system and how to increase your chances
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RPA will score your application by:
- multiplying the score for each item you’ve applied for by the quantity you have applied for and adding these numbers together (total A)
- multiplying the maximum grant amount for each item you’ve applied for by the quantity you have applied for, and adding these numbers together (total B)
- dividing total A by total B
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You can increase your application score by 20% if you provide evidence that you’ve discussed your application with a vet between 1 Jan 2025 and before you submit your application. When you apply, you’ll need to provide your vet’s details, the date of the discussion and permission for RPA to contact your vet. If you apply for this uplift, RPA will contact your vet to verify the information you provide.
Refundable deposits
To help reduce possible supply issues, Cotter Agritech will accept a refundable deposit to reserve your items before you receive a GFA. You can claim for a refundable deposit if it meets these conditions:
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- the deposit must be for no more than 50% of the item cost, excluding VAT
- you must not pay a refundable deposit before 7 May 2025
- invoices must be marked by your supplier to show you used a refundable deposit to buy the item
Cotter Crate Sheep + Lamb Handler FETF headings:
- FETF71 - Sheep handler
Expected average cost: £3,381
Grant amount: £1,690
Score: 1,330
Item must: "be a clamp-style handler for dagging and dosing sheep"
Any Cotter Crate qualifies ✅
- FETF80SH - Weigh bars and weigh platforms for livestock less than 300kg
Expected average cost: £1,100
Grant amount: £550
Score: 860
Item must: "be electronic load bars or an electronic weigh platform to operate with digital weigh heads or readers for use with livestock up to 300kg; be suitable for use with races, crates, or pens for pigs, sheep, or calves; be capable of weighing 500kg to allow for handling equipment"
Weigh Bars added to your Cotter Crate qualifies ✅
Automed Smart Dosing Gun FETF headings:
- FETF101SH - Automatic EID gun for drench or pour on (46% effective grant)
Expected Average Cost: £808
Grant amount: £404
Score: 1,107
Item must: "be an automatic EID gun for drenching or pour on; wirelessly communicate with a weigh head or stock reader to automatically adjust the dosage of drench or pour on, depending on the animal’s weight, and upload and download medicine reports using wireless technology."
Automed Gun with dual adapter qualifies ✅
- FETF102SH - Automatic vaccination gun for livestock (50% effective grant, higher score than FETF101SH, apply for this heading if choosing Automed)
Expected Average Cost: £917
Grant amount: £458
Score: 2,040
Item must: "be an automatic vaccination gun for livestock; wirelessly communicate with a weigh head or stock reader to automatically adjust the dosage of vaccine or medicine depending on the animal’s weight; download or upload vaccination reports using wireless technology."
Automed Gun with dual adapter qualifies ✅
Weigh Heads and EID readers FETF headings:
- FETF78SH - Individual electronic weigh system (Weigh heads)
Expected average cost: £1,246
Grant amount: £623
Score: 510
Item must: "be an individual electronic weigh system; be a digital weighing device which can record and display individual animal weights; be able to track live weight gains and access recorded information on individual animals such as breeding or movements; include a mobile device if required for functionality to input, access, record or display data within the system; be compatible with EID readers and automatic drafting systems."
WeighRite, TruTest Eziweigh7i, TruTest JR5000 and TruTest XR5000 qualifies ✅
- FETF81SH - EID handheld recorder device (i.e high spec EID readers)
Expected average cost: £984
Grant amount: £492
Score: 1,440
Item must: "be an EID handheld device with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for data reading and recording of individual animals; be able to record information on breeding, births, weights, treatments and movements; include a mobile device if required to input, access, and record data within the device; export data to a computer-based software package to monitor livestock."
Agrident AWR300 ✅ and Agrident APR450 qualifies ✅
- FETF82SH - EID handheld device (i.e. our other stick readers)
Expected average cost: £636
Grant amount: £318
Score: 1,440
Item must: "be an EID handheld device (stick reader) with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for individual reading of animals; scan tags and store tag data; connect wirelessly to mobile phones or other devices; read HDX and FDX B tags"
TruTest SRS2i ✅ and TruTest XRS2i qualifies ✅
