Grants applicable to OPICO distributed machinery

The fund includes three grants to help you buy equipment or technology to; improve productivity, manage slurry and improve animal health and welfare.

The window for applications for 2026 opens on the 17th March 2026 and will close at midday on 28th April 2026.

Percentage's of payments are based on the expected average cost of the item, not the invoiced cost.

Find below a list of the OPICO distributed machines that we believe are eligible for the grant.

*N.B. FETF 2026 is administered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). All decisions on application approvals are made by the RPA. FETF 2026 grants are only available in England. Full details.

Eligible item: FarmDroid FD20

(FETF218 - Robotic drill and guided hoe)

Item must:

• be a robotic drill and guided hoe
• precisely place seed in the ground
• mechanically weed between drilled rows
• mechanically weed between plants in rows
• be able to drill and hoe
• be able to operate autonomously in the field without an operator (apart from refilling the seed hopper)

Percentage paid towards item: 50%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

Eligible item: OPICO Variocast E (400L)

(FETF207 - Air drill for establishing cover crops)

Item must:

• be a pneumatic (air) drill
• be designed to be mounted on existing drills or soil tillage equipment
• have electronic metering
• be able to drill small cover crop seeds - for example, clover, mustard, phacelia
• use either pipes, coulters or spreader plates to place the seed
• have a minimum 3m drilling width
• have a seed hopper with a minimum 300L capacity

Percentage paid towards item: 50%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

Eligible item: OPICO Sward Lifter

(FETF112 - Grassland sward lifters)

Item must:

• be a grassland sward lifter
• have 3 minimum legs
• have adjustable depth control to a minimum 300mm
• have a cutting disc in front of each leg that cuts to a minimum 50mm depth
• have a packing roller behind each leg
• have a shear bolt or mechanical reset on each leg

Percentage paid towards item: 40%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

Eligible item: OPICO Camera-guided Inter-Row Cultivators

(FETF6 / FETF7 - Inter row hoe 3m/6m)

Item must:

• be an inter row hoe (hoeing between the crop rows)
• automatically distinguish between the crop row and weeds between the crop rows using camera recognition
• detect the position of the crop rows and automatically adjust the hoes to only remove weeds between the crop rows
• have a minimum 3m (FETF6) or 6m (FETF7) working width

Percentage paid towards item: 50%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

Eligible item: HE-VA Top Cutter Solo

(FETF110 - Cover crop roller)

Item must:

• be a cover crop roller to terminate or bruise cover crops before direct drilling
• have a minimum 3m working width
• have an uneven or ridged surface to help crimp or bruise the cover crop
• crimp or bruise the crop across the full working width of the roller

Flat rolls and rolls comprising of a series of rings are not eligible under this item.

Rollers which include cultivation equipment are not eligible.

Percentage paid towards item: 40%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

Eligible item: HE-VA Grassland Stealth

(FETF112 - Grassland sward lifters)

Item must:

• be a grassland sward lifter
• have 3 minimum legs
• have adjustable depth control to a minimum 300mm
• have a cutting disc in front of each leg that cuts to a minimum 50mm depth
• have a packing roller behind each leg
• have a shear bolt or mechanical reset on each leg

Percentage paid towards item: 40%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

Eligible item: HE-VA Top Strigle

(FETF208 - Tractor mounted stubble rake, 6m)

Item must:

• be a tractor mounted stubble rake
• have a minimum 6m working width
• only have rearwards facing straight tines without hooks or curves to lightly agitate the soil surface and spread crop residues evenly across the field
• break up damp mats of straw

Stubble rakes using any type or form of discs, packing rollers or crumbler rollers are not eligible.

Percentage paid towards item: 40%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

Eligible item: Alpego Flail Mower

Eligible models: TR27, TR27F, TR36 TR36F, TR56, TL35L, TL35E, TL50.

(FETF200 - Tractor mounted flail mulcher for orchards and vineyards (large))

Item must:

• be a tractor mounted flail mulcher for orchards and vineyards
• be tractor PTO driven
• shred branches up to 6cm in diameter into woodchips
• have a 1.6m minimum working width
• have a 3.0m maximum working width

Percentage paid towards item: 40%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

Eligible item: Simtech Direct Drill

Eligible models: TSG 300S, TS 300, TS 300A, TSG 300SP, TS 480LP, TS300P, TS 300AP, TS 350AP, TS 400AP, TS 480AP. 

The following are grant eligible with the addition of a Front Hopper (FH 1800): TS 480APL, TS 480 4A, TS 600AP, TS 600 4A.

(FETF44 - Direct drill)

Item must:

• be a direct drill
• use either tines or discs to product the seeding slot
• have a 2.9m minimum drilling width
• place the seed in a seeding slot
• drill through an established growing cover crops of at least 15cm - must be demonstrated on cover crops other than grass
• have a seed hopper with a capacity of at least 1,000L
• have precision metering capable of drilling between 1kg to 300kg of seed per hectare
• drill the full range of arable and cover crops including cereals, pulses and oil seeds

Percentage paid towards item: 50%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

If you'd like to discuss an eligible machine with a member of our Territory Management team, you can find their contact details here. 

Grants are now live for the 2026 'Wales - Small Grants Scheme - Efficiency'. Applications are open from the 12^th January 2026 to the 27^th February 2026.

If your application is approved, you will have 180 calendar days of the date of the contract offer to purchase and claim for all the items in your contract. 

The grant will be a maximum 40% contribution against actual invoiced costs up to the maximum referenced costs as stated within Annex A.

Below is a list of the OPICO distributed machines that we believe are eligible. 

Full details.

Investment item: Subsoiler

Eligible Item: OPICO Sward Lifter

Specification:

• minimum working width of 2.7m
• minimum two legs
• cutting disc preceding each subsoil leg
• rear roller for consolidation
• depth control

Investment item: Micro Seeder

Eligible Item: OPICO Variocast E

Specification:

• small seeder, suitable for sowing small seeds such as grass, clover, rape, stubble turnips etc
• minimum hopper size 75 litres
• powered by an electric motor
• ability to calibrate and adjust application rate
• electronic on/off control system
• can be fitted to min-till cultivator, tractor or ATV

Investment item: Arable Crop Roller

Eligible Item: HE-VA King Roller, Tip Roller XL, Tip Roller

Specification:

Multi-section horizontal Cambridge/ring roller, comprising:

• hydraulic fold and transport wheels
• minimum working width of 6.15m
• plain or breaker rings

Investment item: Minimum Tillage/Cultivator

Eligible Item: HE-VA Combi-Disc

Specification:

Multi-component one pass/reduced cultivation machine consisting of:

• a minimum of three different soil engaging parts
• two of the soil engaging parts to be separate rows of either fixed, tines, discs, loosening legs or spring tines
• third soil engaging part must be a rear packer, crumbler, roller, rings or shouldered rings
• minimum of 3m working width

Investment item: Minimum Tillage/Cultivator

Eligible Item: HE-VA Triple Tiller

Specification:

Multi-component one pass/reduced cultivation machine consisting of:

• a minimum of three different soil engaging parts
• two of the soil engaging parts to be separate rows of either fixed, tines, discs, loosening legs or spring tines
• third soil engaging part must be a rear packer, crumbler, roller, rings or shouldered rings
• minimum of 3m working width

Investment item: Subsoiler

Eligible Item: HE-VA Stealth

Specification:

• minimum working width of 2.7m
• minimum two legs
• cutting disc preceding each subsoil leg
• rear roller for consolidation
• depth control

Investment item: Direct Drill

Eligible Item: Simtech TSG, TJG or TS

Specification:

Direct or slot seed drill capable of sowing grass, clover, herbs and forage crops into undisturbed soil.

• minimum working width of 2.7m.
• seed metered and delivered through either pneumatic or mechanical mechanism.
• seed delivered directly into pre-prepared slot produced by disc or slot mechanism in undisturbed soil.
• seed placed at consistent depth. 

Investment item: Direct Drill

Eligible Item: HE-VA G Drill

Specification:

Direct or slot seed drill capable of sowing grass, clover, herbs and forage crops into undisturbed soil.

• minimum working width of 2.7m.
• seed metered and delivered through either pneumatic or mechanical mechanism.
• seed delivered directly into pre-prepared slot produced by disc or slot mechanism in undisturbed soil.
• seed placed at consistent depth. 

If you'd like to discuss an eligible machine with a member of our Territory Management team, you can find their contact details here. 

This grant supports innovation towards finding local solutions to local water quality challenges in key priority catchments across the Anglian Water region. Unlike other grants, there are no set options, so if you are considering anything which could help protect raw water quality from pesticides, nutrients or soil loss we (Anglian Water) want to hear from you.

The application window opened on the 26^th January 2026 and applications will need to be submitted by 1^st March 2026.

Full details.

There will be a maximum grant rate of £7,500/holding to help support farmers and share some of the risk associated to trialling new approaches, changing practices and/or scaling up ideas to be incorporated into business as usual.

If you'd like to discuss an eligible machine with a member of our Territory Management team, you can find their contact details here.