Government funding to help farming businesses improve resilience to Brexit uncertainties

While trade talks continue as we head towards the 31 December Brexit deadline, many Scottish farming businesses will be concerned about future markets and the potential consequences of higher trade barriers post Brexit. Deal or no deal, either outcome is anticipated to have long-term impacts on the agricultural sector. Although the impact of the negotiations cannot be determined at this stage, we can support Scottish farming businesses to strengthen business resilience, develop greater flexibility and build capacity to better cope with change.
Through the Farm Advisory Service (FAS), Scottish farmers and crofters can access up to £1,000 worth of funding from the Scottish Government to develop a business resilience plan with the help of a FAS approved adviser. A resilience plan is a diagnostic tool designed to assess the ability of your business to deal with changes in the supply chain or change within the wider market.

The approved adviser will work with a participating business to:

• establish key performance indicators for financial resilience and analyse enterprise exposure;
• analyse business exposure to risk;
• assess profitability and cash flow;
• review the ‘health’ of the balance sheet.

A business resilience plan will highlight any issues you may face in the future, but you need to have a plan in place to address them. The ideal tool for doing this is an Integrated Land Management Plan (ILMP) for your farm. Prepared by an expert adviser, an ILMP will identify opportunities and cost savings for your business, and include a step-by-step, action plan to address challenges and build more resilience to future changes.

To apply for business resilience support, please visit www.fas.scot/specialist-advice/

To receive a hardcopy application pack, please contact FAS by calling 0300 323 0161 or emailing advice@fas.scot.