Horticulturalists in NSW can apply for a grant of up to 50% of the cost to purchase and install new protective netting or replace damaged netting, to a maximum grant amount of $100,000.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $100,000
- Application opened: 24 October 2022
- Application closed: 20 January 2023
Program objective
The program aims to assist horticultural primary producers to increase resilience by reducing exposure to crop damage through the purchase and installation of netting over existing horticulture crops.
This program is administered by Rural Assistance Authority.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the grant, you must:
- be a primary producer
- draw at least 50% of your gross income from your horticultural primary production enterprise
- contribute a part of your labour to the horticultural primary production enterprise
- hold an active ABN
- lodge an application by the closing date shown on the RAA website (www.raa.nsw.gov.au)
- at the time of application have, and intend to continue, a viable horticultural primary production enterprise.
There are clauses relating to new entrants, seasonal conditions and value-adding that may impact your eligibility. Please refer to the terms and conditions in the program guidelines on the RAA website.
What the grant can be used for
You can use your grant for the following eligible activities:
- The cost of a third-party provider to supply, or supply and install, new and replacement permanent and/or drape-netting/throw-over netting and associated support structures over horticultural crops existing prior to the commencement of the grant program.
- The netting must be purchased and installed to increase horticultural productivity by reducing the impacts of adverse weather events or animal predation and to reduce water usage with a mesh size no larger than 30mm.
- Your eligible activity must be new netting installed from 14 December 2021.
- You must complete the works and lodge your claim by the claim close date shown on the RAA website.
What the grant cannot be used for
- You cannot claim the cost of your own labour.
- Repairing or replacing netting damaged by a declared natural disaster including the 2019-20 bushfires or the storms and floods of 2021 and 2022, as this is an eligible activity under natural disaster assistance programs.
- Projects that have already received assistance from State or Commonwealth grants. This means that the repair or replacement of netting purchased under a natural disaster grant or the Flying Fox Netting program is not eligible.
- A business that is on the market at the program open date.
- A business that is put on the market after the program open date may not access any further grants from the point of listing the sale.
- A new owner that purchases a business after the program open date will not be eligible for assistance if the former owner has made an application and claimed the grant.
- Projects where insurance has been claimed for damaged netting and/or associated support structures.
- Retrospective funding for purchase or works carried out prior to 14 December 2021.
- Feasibility studies, business cases, reports and development plans.
- Costs associated with preparing applications for funding.
- Operational expenditure, including wages, utilities, self-installation, repairs and maintenance.
Most recent recipients
What your application needs to include
You can download the complete guidelines for applicants:
File
Horticultural Netting Program Guidelines (PDF 503.16KB)
Applicants must complete the online application form and attach a copy of the following documentation:
- the most recent tax returns and financial statements for the applying entity and individual tax returns for all members of the business
- the most recent local government area rates notice (council rates notice) and/or Local Land Services rates notice
- quotes, estimates, photos and tax invoices (if available)
If you have previously been approved for assistance through the Rural Assistance Authority (RAA) and provided the above documents in the past 12 months, you may not need to provide them again.
Please refer to the program guidelines for details.
To be eligible for the grant, you must:
- be a primary producer
- draw at least 50% of your gross income from your horticultural primary production enterprise
There are clauses relating to new entrants, seasonal conditions and value-adding that may impact your eligibility. Please refer to the terms and conditions in the program guidelines on the RAA website.
- contribute a part of your labour to the horticultural primary production enterprise
- hold an active ABN
- lodge an application by the closing date shown on the RAA website (www.raa.nsw.gov.au)
- at the time of application have, and intend to continue, a viable horticultural primary production enterprise.
- Applications will be assessed against the eligibility criteria.
- The RAA may take into account your credit position and the status of any existing loans to help verify your intention to re-establish or continue the primary production enterprise.
- The RAA reserves the right to request further information from you or from any business or individual you have engaged, to assist in assessing your application and to verify any information provided in your application. Failure to provide such information may result in the RAA refusing your application.
- The RAA reserves the right to refuse an application where eligibility criteria are not met or where you do not or cannot provide sufficient information for the RAA to determine if eligibility criteria have been met.
- The RAA can put an application on hold where the applicant is under investigation or has been charged in relation to the fraudulent receipt of grants under this or other government assistance programs.
- Complete applications will be assessed in order of receipt. Incomplete applications will not enter the assessment queue until all required information is provided.
- Applicants should note that past financial assistance under this program or any other program is not a reliable indicator of eligibility for future financial assistance under this program.
- Applications submitted may be subject to audit by the RAA or its agents in order to determine compliance with scheme guidelines.
- Before applying for financial assistance under this program, you should seek advice from your legal, business or financial advisers about the tax implications of this financial assistance.
- You will be expected to provide a range of supporting documentation, including the latest local council rate notice or local land service rate notice, the latest available Tax Return and Financial Statement for your farm business and complete copies of personal Tax Returns for each member of the farm business.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: NSW Rural Assistance Authority
The applications will be assessed and both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified.
We will publish successful recipients on nsw.gov.au as grants are awarded.
Please note: Individual recipient information will be removed to ensure statutory compliance with the provisions of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act (PPIP) 1988.
In addition, the Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW has approved a policy exception to not publish non-individual recipient data. For non-competitive programs that have a high-volume of low-value grants, which are predominantly awarded to individuals, it is not practical or feasible to separate applicant information and doing so would adversely affect the achievement of government policy outcomes.
Support and contact
Phone: 1800 678 593
Email: rural.assist@raa.nsw.gov.au
Postal address: Locked Bag 23, Orange NSW 2800