Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston has quizzed agriculture minister Jim Fairlie on the oversubscribed Farming Future Investment Scheme.
The programme, which opened in summer this year, offers capital funding to cover investment costs for farms and crofters to reduce impact on climate change and improve biodiversity.
However, The Scottish Farmer reported that the scheme has been overwhelmed with thousands of applicants, with the President of NFU Scotland calling on the Scottish Government to significantly increase the budget available for the FFIS.
Mr Halcro Johnston, who is Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Islands, backed those calls and has now written to the Scottish Government seeking urgent clarification on whether more funding will be made available and when applications to the scheme will be approved.
Following Rural Affairs questions Jamie Halcro Johnston, whose family farm in Orkney, said:
“I am disappointed with the minister’s response or, to be more accurate, lack of response.
“This fund was set out as a key part of the Scottish Government’s plan to support farmers and crofters help reduce emissions in the sector, particularly in the islands, and thousands of businesses have got on board, including our own.
“We know that the Future Farming Investment Scheme has been received positively by the sector and has been significantly oversubscribed.
“This is a challenging time for farmers, with ever-increasing new tax and regulatory burdens only creating more uncertainty for the sector, and any investment in our businesses – and in the wider sector – should be welcomed.
“But despite the scheme closing in August, there is still no clarity over when applicants can expect to hear whether or not they have been successful and, if they have, how much support they will receive.
“NFU Scotland have called for more funding to be made available for this year’s scheme and I support those calls.
“I have written to the Minister as a matter of urgency in the hope of receiving a proper response to my questions.
“It is essential that applicants know what is happening, whether the programme will be expanded in light of its popularity and what impact applicant numbers will have on potential payments this year.”
