Change description : 2026-05-28 11:21:00: Updated links to guidance for Capital Grants and Agreement holder’s guide from 2025 to 2026. [Guidance and regulation]
This item is part of Capital Grants.Grants 2026. You must read the Capital items:Grants 2026 guidanceforto applicantsunderstand the rules and agreementhow holdersto apply.
If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, you must read the CSHT applicant’s guide to understand the rules and how to apply.
How much you’ll be paid
£295.90 per pump.
How this item benefits the environment
Providing livestock with an alternative to drinking from watercourses reduces bank erosion, sediment pollution and the faecal contamination of watercourses.
Where you can use this item
You can use this item either:
in areas targeted for the reduction of water pollution caused by farming, where livestock are excluded from stream or surface waters
to encourage grazing which helps to manage and restore habitats (in Higher Tier with the agreement of Natural England)
You cannot use this item to replace existing equipment in the same location.
What you must do to use this item
You must:
install a low-lift, animal-operated pasture pump
secure the pump to robust, preserved timber, for example to a sleeper or a post
construct a hardstanding area around the pump of at least 1 square metre (m2)
dig the hardstanding area to a depth of at least 150 millimetres (mm), or down to a naturally occurring hard surface
compact hardcore on a geotextile liner to a depth of at least 150mm
edge the hardstanding area with preserved timber (at least 150mm by 50mm)
use medium-density polyethylene pipework with an external diameter of at least 25mm
make sure all the joints are watertight and made from brass or plastic
Evidence you must keep
You must keep and provide with your claim:
photographs of the site during the different stages of construction or contracts, invoices or other documents confirming the technical specification for the completed works
photographs of the completed works in place and installed
You must also keep and provide on request:
any consents or permissions connected with the work
receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the CSHT agreement holder’s guide.
The following advice may help you to use this item, but you do not have to follow it to get paid. It’s not part of this item’s requirements.
Use the pump effectively
A pump can lift water up to around 5m high and pump to up to 50m. One pump can provide 10 to 15 cattle with water. You may need to train livestock to use the pump.
During winter you should:
remove the pump and store it to protect against frost damage
make sure the pump is available for inspection after it’s removed
Removal of text confirming LV5 Pasture pumps and associated pipework availability under Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants (SFI pilot), as the SFI Capital offer is no longer available.
8 February 2022
'Where to use this item' section updated to include detail on SFI pilot.
31 January 2021
Added in links to Capital Grants manual as this option is now available for Capital Grants