Agribusiness News April 2025 – Policy Brief

Future Farming Investment Scheme

The Scottish Government have recently announced their intention to introduce a Future Farming Investment Scheme with an estimated funding budget of ~ £14 million.

The aim of the new grant scheme will be to provide flexible capital grants to drive efficiency and to support nature and climate friendly farming practices.  Further details about the new scheme are expected within the next quarter.

Scottish Suckler Beef Support Payments

Payments have started for the 2024 Scheme year:

• Mainland: £111.33 per animal (+£6.32)
• Islands: £155.03 per animal (+£3.79)

The increase in payment rate for 2024 is due to a decrease in animals claimed from 327,318 in 2023 to 309,317 animals in 2024.  The total number of businesses claiming payments fell by 313 from 6,442 in 2023 to 6,129 in 2024.

Sea Eagle Management Scheme

Given the significant emotional and financial impact on farming and crofting businesses caused by predation of white-tailed eagles on sheep stocks, the Scottish Government has announced further support for affected businesses to help with the management and trial of new methods of prevention of livestock loss.

The Scottish Government will provide NatureScot with an additional £534,000 taking the total for the 2025-26 Sea Eagle Management Scheme to £970,000.

For affected businesses:

• The maximum Standard Measures payment to help with increased shepherding and monitoring will be increased by £300 to £1,800.
• To help cover the cost of the time spent by shepherds protecting their flocks over lambing time, the maximum Enhanced Measures payment will double from £5,000 to £10,000.
• There will also be additional support provided to be shared by farms and crofts most severely impacted by sea eagle predation and who wish to develop and test more in-depth and bespoke approaches including indoor lambing.

GAEC 7 Retention of Landscapes

With the bird nesting season upon us, under the Good Agricultural and Economic Conditions – GAEC 7 Retention of Landscape, farmers, crofters and landholders must not cut their hedgerows and trees during the bird nesting season – 1 March through to the 31^st of August or cultivate land within two metres of the centre line of a hedge.

However, a hedge or tree may be trimmed/cut from 1 August if the hedge or tree is in a field which will be sown with one of the following crops in that month:–

• oilseed rape
• temporary grass
• another crop subject to prior written consent of Scottish Ministers

This exemption only applies to trimming/cutting the side of the hedge or tree which is adjacent to the oilseed rape, grass, or other crop.

Funding for Apprenticeships

The Scottish Government has announced £100 million of funding to support 25,500 Modern, 2,500 Foundation and 1,200 Graduate Apprenticeships in 2025-26.  Contracts will now be issued by Skills Development Scotland to employers, training providers and colleges for Modern Apprenticeship starts and learning providers for Foundation Apprenticeship starts.

Modern Apprenticeships normally take between 1–3 years to complete and are open to anyone aged 16 or over.  In terms of Land Based Modern Apprenticeships, subjects currently available include Agriculture, Game and Wildlife Management, Land Based Engineering, Rural Skills, Horticulture, Equine and Trees and Timber. Lantra Scotland have prepared an employer’s Toolkit which can be accessed here which explains the different types of training and support available.

Back British produce

While it is encouraging that the UK Government has announced new requirements for government catering contracts to favour high-quality, high-welfare products which local farms and producers are well placed to serve’; the overarching aim is only that ‘at least 50% of food supplied into the £5 billion public sector catering contracts to be from British producers or those certified to higher environmental standards’.

Allowing for foodstuffs that cannot be produced in the UK for technical or profitability reasons, a more ambitious target would provide greater support for the UK Agricultural and Horticultural sectors.

Christine Beaton, christine.beaton@sac.co.uk

 

Key Dates

Date	Point to note
15th of May 2025	The Single Application Form (SAF) window closes at midnight