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Livestock Housing Finance

Compare finance for livestock housing from £15,000 to £400,000. As a structure fixed to the land, this is usually funded by a secured loan or agricultural mortgage rather than standard equipment finance.

Can you finance a livestock housing?

Yes, livestock housings are financed as a standard asset purchase, usually on hire purchase or a lease, with the machine itself acting as the security. UK prices typically run £15,000 to £400,000, and most deals are written over 24-84 months with a deposit of around 15-25%. Decisions typically take several weeks. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.

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Typical Cost

£15k – £400k

Approval Speed

Several weeks

Timescale depends on existing farm borrowing and security

Rates From

5.5% APR

What would a livestock housing cost per month?

£85,000
10%
60 months
9%
£0

Your estimate

Indicative only. Not a quote and not an offer of finance.

Pre-filled with a typical livestock housing price. Indicative only, not a quote.

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Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate
From 7.0% APR
Term
24-84 months
Deposit
15-25%
Ownership
Yours at the end
Best for
Only realistic where the building is a genuinely demountable steel-framed kit supplied without permanent foundations, which is uncommon for working livestock housing

Secured Business Loan

Rate
From 7.5% APR
Term
3-10 years
Deposit
Varies with security offered
Ownership
Fixed monthly repayments
Best for
A common route where the farm has assets to secure against but does not want to extend an existing mortgage

Commercial or Agricultural Mortgage

Rate
From 5.5% APR (variable/tracker options available)
Term
5-25 years
Deposit
Typically 20-35% or existing land equity
Ownership
Long-term secured borrowing
Best for
The most usual way to fund permanent livestock housing, since the building is fixed to the land

Representative example

On a purchase price of £85,000: a 10% deposit of £8,500, then 48 monthly payments of £1,793 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £94,564, including the deposit. The rate you are offered depends on your business and the asset.

What buyers actually specify

Guide prices for sizing a finance agreement, not quotes. Manufacturers in this market mostly price on application, so where a current UK list price could not be confirmed the row describes a specification class rather than naming a model. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.

Machine or specification Guide price Type
Steel-Framed Livestock Building, General Purpose £45 - £70 per sqm excluding groundworks (specification class, price not independently verified) General Purpose Livestock Building
Farmplus-Style Agricultural Livestock Shed £50 - £80 per sqm excluding groundworks (specification class, price not independently verified) Agricultural Livestock Shed
Insulated Poultry or Pig Housing Unit £80 - £130 per sqm excluding groundworks (specification class, price not independently verified) Insulated Intensive Livestock Building
Multi-Span Livestock Building incl. Groundworks £150,000 - £400,000 (specification class, price not independently verified) Multi-Span Livestock Building

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Tax benefits

Livestock housing built on foundations is fixed to the land and is generally treated as a structure rather than as plant and machinery for capital allowances purposes, in the same way as a cattle shed or a farm workshop. This applies whether the building houses sheep, pigs, poultry or other stock. As with cattle housing, specific items fitted inside the building such as ventilation fans, feeding and watering systems, or in some cases slatted flooring, can sometimes be treated separately as plant even where the shell of the building is not, so it is worth asking your builder to itemise fitted equipment separately from the structure on your project quote and discussing the split with your accountant.

Market context

Livestock housing is typically built or upgraded by poultry, pig and sheep enterprises responding to updated welfare code requirements, expanding flock or herd size, or diversifying into a new livestock enterprise from an existing arable or mixed farming base. Poultry and pig housing in particular is often built to a tighter environmental specification than general purpose cattle housing, covering ventilation, insulation and biosecurity, which is reflected in a higher build cost per square metre. As with other agricultural structures, the realistic financing route depends heavily on the farm's existing borrowing and available security, since livestock housing is treated as part of the farm's fixed infrastructure rather than as equipment.

Bad credit?

Several of our 200+ lenders specialise in businesses with imperfect credit histories. You may need a larger deposit or personal guarantee, but options exist. Checking your options here does not affect your credit score, because we do not run a credit search to match you. A lender will run their own checks only if you decide to apply.

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Frequently asked questions

Is livestock housing treated differently to a cattle shed for finance purposes?
Not in principle. Sheep housing, pig housing, poultry housing and general cattle housing are all structures fixed to the land once built on foundations, and are generally financed the same way, through a secured business loan or an agricultural mortgage rather than standard equipment finance. The specification and cost per square metre vary considerably between livestock types, particularly for intensive poultry or pig units needing tighter environmental control, but the underlying finance approach is the same.
Can I finance the ventilation and environmental control equipment separately from the building?
Yes, and this is often worthwhile. Ventilation fans, heating, and environmental control systems fitted inside livestock housing, particularly in poultry and pig units, can often be itemised separately from the building shell and may be eligible for equipment finance and plant and machinery treatment even where the building itself is financed as a structure. Ask your builder to break these out on the quote from the outset.
Does livestock housing need planning permission?
Many agricultural buildings benefit from permitted development rights, though this depends on the building's scale, its distance from other buildings, and, for some intensive livestock units, additional environmental permitting requirements that go beyond standard planning rules. This is a matter for your local planning authority and, for larger intensive units, the Environment Agency, rather than something a finance guide can confirm for your specific project.
How is livestock housing capacity usually specified?
Buildings are generally sized against target flock or herd numbers with an allowance for planned growth, in a similar way to how a warehouse specifies racking capacity ahead of current stock volumes. Overbuilding significantly beyond a realistic growth plan can make the project harder to justify from an affordability perspective when a lender assesses the loan or mortgage application. Poultry and pig units in particular are often specified against a stocking density figure set by the relevant assurance scheme or buyer contract, rather than purely against the farm's own preference, which is worth confirming with your adviser before finalising the building size.
How long does it take to arrange finance for livestock housing?
Because livestock housing is usually funded through a secured loan or agricultural mortgage, timescales are typically several weeks rather than the 24 to 48 hours common for standard machinery finance, since the lender will want to assess the farm's overall financial position and the building specification in detail. Intensive poultry and pig units with additional environmental permitting requirements can take longer still, since the lender may want to see evidence that the relevant permit application is progressing before committing to fund the building.

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