Specialist Advice

Making it easier for businesses to meet regulation requirements, provide the best quality of life for their livestock and improve work-life balance for livestock farmers and crofters. This can cover feeding plans, breeding plans, new animal housing plans and more.

Advice on sensitive management of productive land or surrounding habitats, in line with legal requirements.

Guiding businesses to improve their ecological status and journey towards sustainable and resilient systems. This can include advice on habitat creation, restoration and management.

Follow-up support for businesses who have received a carbon audit and need further advice and support to implement their action plan.

Guidance for businesses wanting to reduce their climate impact and adapt to Scotland’s changing weather patterns and climate. This can cover energy use efficiency, renewable energy production, and land management for drought or flooding.

A thorough and impartial business review by an experienced crofting adviser, resulting in a flexible, tailored advice plan. A crofter’s plan will cover the following elements: Environmental sustainability, opportunities, and risks, Business finances, Identification of strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for the crofting business, and croft legislative status.

Improve the efficiency of your business, support may include professional analysis of finances, benchmarking, review of labour, machinery and vehicles, capital, assets and liabilities, diversification options, identification of external sources of finance/funding.

Guidance on best practice, accessing the organic market and business efficiency for organic production.

A popular choice for businesses looking to increase their financial resilience to threats, changes in the market or personal circumstances.  This will include financial analysis, output/profit/margin analysis, business risks and opportunities.

Essential advice for businesses looking to increase their resilience by improve the quality and health of their soil. This can cover preventing soil erosion and the degradation of soil, increasing carbon and soil organic content, stocking planning, fertiliser planning, slurry management and nutrient management advice taking account of your soil analysis results (soil testing and laboratory analysis is not funded by FAS).

Benefit from expert guidance through one of the hardest stages of running a business, to give you the confidence to change your lifestyle knowing your business is in safe hands. This can include advice and support on bringing all parties together to engage in succession planning, understanding the financial position of the business, its viability, retirement options, successors, legal considerations and tax implications.

Advice on water resource management, addressing water scarcity, improving water quality on your land and in the surrounding area, reducing diffuse pollution and flood management. This can include advice on water storage, wetland creation and management and watercourse buffering.

Professional guidance on the maintenance and creation of woodland, and the best ways to fund and monetise it. This includes advice on woodland management, thinning plans, productivity assessments, woodland creation, species, management plans and funding guidance.