Scotland presents £18m to back sustainable farming: The Scottish Government is supplying funding valued at nearly £18m to farmers & crofters to assist in sustainable farming in Scotland.

Letters with grant proposals have been dispatched to over 3,500 qualified farmers and crofters with regard to the purchase of agricultural equipment selected for its efficiency in reducing greenhouse gases.

Favourable applicants have up to the 21st December 2020 to obtain the offer, after which they will have until 31st March 2021 to purchase the equipment and collect the grant.

The grant is being supplied under the Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grant Scheme. This is being funded by means of £20 million capital funding which was assigned to the Agricultural Transformation Programme for the year 2020/21.

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing stated: “There is no doubt that farm and food production businesses will be required and are ready to play a significant role in meeting our climate change targets. We received 3,735 applications for this scheme and I am pleased to say that I am able to increase the initial £10 million budget and offer up to £18 million in support to farmers and crofters to invest in new equipment, which will enable the changes necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I would urge applicants to consider carefully the conditions of grant and to proceed quickly to take up the offer.

“This pilot scheme will offer us a valuable opportunity to assess uptake, estimate the potential scale of greenhouse gas reductions and use this feedback to inform the development of future policy and support mechanisms.”

Scotland presents £18m to back sustainable farming