A new £60m grants scheme from which farmers can bid for cash to buy new farm equipment has been announced at Dairy Tech by Farming Minister George Eustice.

Many of the items eligible for funding are highly relevant to the dairy sector, including specialist foot trimming crushes and calving detectors, but there is a range of innovative items from which the majority of farmers can find something they would want to apply for.

Farmers can apply online to the Countryside Productivity Small Grant Scheme, requesting a grant between £3,000 and £12,000 towards the costs of farm equipment.

Minister Eustice explained how the scheme has been designed with simplicity in mind, to save farmers valuable time. He said: "The dairy industry is our largest agricultural sector and we want to make sure farmers can become more resilient, competitive and able to capitalise on the growing global interest in quality British produce as we leave the EU.

"By opening this small grants scheme, we hope more farmers will be able to access this equipment and embark on more innovative and ambitious projects."

Last year Defra also opened a series of offers for larger grants through the Countryside Productivity scheme. Farmers can apply for grants of over £35,000 for a range of different projects, including for making more efficient use of resources, processing products, and other innovative projects.