Poots welcomes strong uptake of FBIS offers

Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots MLA has revealed that 94 per cent of offers have been accepted by farmers under the latest tranche of Tier 1 of the Farm Busi-ness Improvement Scheme – Capital (FBIS-C).

This follows the Minister’s decision in January 2021 to double the amount of money available to £15 million following the huge response to his call for farm businesses to invest in Low Emissions Slurry Spreading Equipment (LESSE).

More than 2,900 Letters of Offer were issued to farmers and growers under the third tranche of Tier 1 of the FBIS-C, which closed on December 4, 2020, to support smaller scale investments to improve the sustainability of farm businesses. Just under 94 per cent of those offers have been accepted.

Mr Poots said: “I very much welcome the exceptional response to the third tranche of Tier 1 FBIS Capital, particularly for Low Emission Slurry Spreading Equipment.

“Over 2,700 successful applicants have accepted their Letters of Offer, just over half of which are for LESSE and other ammonia mitigating equipment.

“In addition to having a key role in reducing ammonia emissions, the use of LESSE can play a significant part in increasing the nutrient available for crop growth from slurry application and reduces the potential for water contamination and nuisance odours.

“Farmers have demonstrated that they are keen to invest in up-to-date methods and technologies to help develop their agriculture business into one that’s more sustainable and environmentally aware.”