Scotland awards £18m to support sustainable farming

Letters with grant offers have been sent to more than 3,500 eligible farmers and crofters towards the purchase of agricultural equipment chosen for its effectiveness in reducing greenhouse gases

The Scottish Government is providing funding worth almost £18 million to farmers and crofters to support sustainable farming in Scotland.

Letters with grant offers have been sent to more than 3,500 eligible farmers and crofters towards the purchase of agricultural equipment chosen for its effectiveness in reducing greenhouse gases.

Successful applicants have until 21st December 2020 to accept the offer, following which they will have until 31st March 2021 to buy the equipment and claim the grant.

The grant is being provided under the Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grant Scheme, which is funded through £20 million capital funding which was allocated to the Agricultural Transformation Programme for the year 2020/21.

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “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.”

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