Grants boost sustainable farming

With the total pot available boosted from £10 million to £18m, 3,500 claimants under the Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grant Scheme will shortly be offered the opportunity to invest in equipment aimed at improving their green credentials.

Announcing yesterday that award letters were being sent out, the Scottish Government said that successful applicants would have until December 2021 to accept their offer; following which, they would have until 31 March 2021 to purchase the equipment and claim the grant.

The SACGS pilot scheme was aimed at providing grant support for farmers and crofters to purchase specific items of equipment which were chosen for their effectiveness in reducing greenhouse gas emissions - as well as supporting sustainable farming by improving land and livestock management and improving air and water quality.

“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,” said rural economy secretary, Fergus Ewing.

He said that with 3,735 applications received for the scheme, the budget had been increased to help farmers and crofters invest in new equipment, which would enable the changes necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Urging applicants to consider carefully the conditions of grant and to proceed quickly to take up the offer, Ewing said that the pilot scheme offered 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.