Livestock handling equipment finance
Funding for cattle crushes, races, penning and sheep handling systems, the equipment that makes TB testing, dosing and weighing safe rather than dangerous.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance livestock handling equipment?
Yes, though it is usually funded as part of a wider yard project rather than on its own. Individual items such as a cattle crush or a set of gates often fall below the minimum an asset funder will write, so the sensible approach is to put the whole handling system, the penning and any weighing or EID equipment on one invoice and fund it as a single package. Used equipment is fundable but the market is thin because good galvanised kit rarely comes up. Check whether any grant you are applying for permits hire purchase, as several do not.
Used kit: Yes, though good galvanised secondhand equipment rarely comes onto the market
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
What would livestock handling equipment cost per month?
Asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what the buttons show, with the equivalent APR beside it. Your exact rate depends on the asset, the term, the deposit and the lender.
Prime is an established, profitable business with clean credit. Specialist covers newer businesses and credit that needs explaining — the asset itself carries part of the risk, which is why finance is often available where an unsecured loan is not.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 5.15% flat rate (equivalent to 9.9% APR representative), you would repay around £628 a month; total amount repayable approximately £30,150, of which £5,150 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Rates shown are indicative flat rates with the equivalent APR alongside — the two are not the same number. Indicative only and does not constitute a quote or an offer of finance. Subject to status and lender approval.
How lenders treat it
Handling equipment is low value and durable, which cuts both ways. Galvanised steel gates, races and crushes last decades and sell readily at farm sales, so a funder is not worried about the asset failing, but the ticket size is often too small to interest a larger lender and the paperwork cost outweighs the deal. Agricultural funders who work at this level will take it, particularly where it forms part of a larger yard investment including concrete, penning and a weighing system. Where the equipment is bolted permanently into a building, the same fixture question arises as with any installed plant and a landlord may need to confirm ownership stays with the funder. Regular monthly repayments are normal here, since livestock income is reasonably even.
Makes and models we fund
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| IAE cattle crushes | Fixed and yoke-front cattle crushes |
| IAE mobile handling systems | Trailed cattle handling races and pens |
| Ritchie Beefmaster | Cattle crush for weighing and treatment |
| Ritchie sheep handling systems | Races, crates and turnover crates |
| Bateman cattle penning | Gates, hurdles and race panels |
| Te Pari Racewell HD3 | Automatic sheep handler with weighing |
| Te Pari Taurus crush | Hydraulic cattle crush with head yoke |
| Prattley mobile sheep yards | Towable sheep yard and race system |
| Combi Clamp sheep handler | Manual clamp handler for sheep work |
| Shearwell EID readers | Stick readers and weigh head systems |
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
Who buys one
Beef and dairy farms replacing a handling setup that is unsafe for routine TB testing, sheep farms fitting a race and weigh crate to manage worming and selection accurately, and farms taking on more stock where the old system creates a bottleneck. The trigger is frequently an injury or a near miss, a vet refusing to test in unsafe facilities, or an assurance scheme inspection flagging the handling arrangements.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
We publish the deals we arrange, with no client named and no rate quoted. See what we have funded in agriculture.
How it is treated for tax
Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Livestock handling equipment finance questions
Can I finance a cattle crush on its own?
Often it is too small a purchase for a standalone agreement. The practical answer is to bundle it with the race, gates, penning and any weighing equipment on one invoice from the same supplier. That turns a deal nobody wants to write into a sensible package that several funders will look at.
Does grant funding stop me using finance for handling equipment?
It can. Some agricultural grant schemes require you to own the equipment outright when you claim, which excludes hire purchase and lease. Read the scheme conditions before you commit to anything, and if hire purchase is excluded we can look at funding the non-grant elements of the yard project instead.
Can I include the concrete and groundworks in the same deal?
Sometimes, where the supplier is delivering the whole installation and invoices it as one project. Pure civil works are less comfortable for an asset funder because there is nothing to recover, so a mixed project may need the equipment funded on asset finance and the groundworks handled another way.
Is a mobile handling unit easier to finance than a fixed one?
Yes, generally. A trailer-mounted race and crush is unambiguously a piece of equipment, it can be moved and resold, and no fixture or landlord question arises. Tenants in particular often find a mobile system is both the easier funding route and the more practical one.
Is the investment justifiable on a small herd?
That is your call, but the case usually rests on safety and time rather than throughput. Handling injuries are among the most common serious accidents in farming, and a vet or a TB tester will not work in facilities they consider dangerous. Spreading the cost over time is often what makes it happen at all.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Get your quote
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 0333 772 4864 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.
Specialist agricultural funding
Machinery, livestock and land — each with its own page, because each is assessed differently.