Livestock Underpass Grant Scheme – Australia

Deadline: 30-Jun-23

The Government of South Australia is seeking applications for the Livestock Underpass Grant Scheme (LUPS) to provide a 50 per cent reimbursement grant to primary producers as a financial contribution towards the cost of constructing underpasses beneath public roads to allow livestock to move safely from paddock to paddock.

Purpose

• Livestock underpasses remove the need for primary producers to herd livestock across roads to access facilities such as dairies, thereby eliminating traffic delays and reducing the risk of collisions with vehicles, damage to the road surface and adverse impacts on the health and welfare of farmers, their employees and to the cattle. Underpasses also improve farm productivity by allowing freer movement of stock and reducing the time livestock spend off pasture waiting to be herded across the road.

Funding Information

• A total of $3 million in grants is available for the construction and installation of livestock underpass infrastructure.
• The maximum grant that can be claimed is $100,000 (GST exclusive) per eligible applicant.

Outcomes

• LUPS aims to achieve the following outcomes:
  • reduced traffic delays for commuters, freight vehicles and tourists at livestock crossing sites;
  • reduced risk of near misses where vehicles swerve or brake to avoid colliding with farmers, farm employees and livestock at crossing sites;
  • reduced risk of fatalities and injuries due to vehicles colliding with farmers, farm employees and livestock at crossing sites;
  • improved productivity and profitability for farms with livestock crossing sites.
• Grants are available to reimburse the costs associated with the purchase, delivery, and labour, using the services of an independent authorised contractor, to construct and install new underpass Infrastructure.

Eligible Activities

• Grants will be calculated as 50 per cent of the eligible costs associated with the purchase of materials and contractor services for construction of the underpass including:
  • excavation (including relocation of utilities);
  • installation of the underpass structure including:
    • earthworks, culverts, disconnection and reconnection of services, crash barriers, drainage, tracks and reasonable fencing, costs of planning and design;
  • traffic management and any other works deemed necessary by the relevant authority, including costs associated with obtaining permits.
• Grants are conditional upon the following being met:
  • all relevant planning and development permits and approvals are held, or will be held within three months from the date the grant is approved;
  • project will commence within 6 months and completed by 12 months from the date of correspondence indicating grant approval;
  • applicant has the capacity to fund the balance of costs associated with the works;
  • the applicant is the owner of the inter-connecting land or has approval from the property owner to build the underpass;
  • the project costs are assessed to be reasonable and work is undertaken by unrelated third-party entities.

Ineligible Activities

• upgrades to existing livestock underpass infrastructure
• wages for employees or self-assessed costs including own labour, project management and equipment usage
• costs associated with the preparation of the grant application
• operational expenditure, such as wages, utilities, repairs and maintenance, and non-fixed equipment
• retrospective funding, where projects have been completed or have commenced prior to the application being approved by the Minister
• purchase of land or a business
• projects that require ongoing recurrent State Government funding
• projects that have already received assistance from another relevant State or Australian Government grant program to achieve the same project outcomes
• projects that have not received all required approvals to undertake the project activity

Eligibility Criteria

• To apply for a grant under LUPS the following conditions must be met:
  • Eligible applicants must:
    • be part of a business enterprise operating
      • a primary production business undertaking livestock production; or
      • a licensed abattoir; or
      • a livestock saleyard
    • own, lease or share-farm the property / properties to be linked by the proposed underpass
    • operate as a sole trader, partnership, trust, local government authority or private company
    • hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) and be registered for GST
    • if the applicant is a primary producer, have received more than 50 per cent of their total gross income for the past two years, from primary production business, under normal seasonal circumstances
  • The land that will be interlinked by the proposed livestock underpass infrastructure must have been and will continue to be utilised for livestock production or be connecting to a saleyard or abattoir.
  • Applicants must not have received funding from another South Australian / Australian Government program in respect of the same activities.
  • Applicants must have met all the terms and conditions placed on any previous funding, grant or concessional loan provided to them by the Government of South Australia.

For more information, visit Government of South Australia.