Farming

Have your say on a plan setting out key priorities for the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park by taking part in a public consultation.

Views are currently being sought on the draft National Park Partnership Plan 2018-2023 which sets out a vision for how the Park Authority and its partners will work together to further develop the benefits the National Park can offer Scotland's environment, society, culture and economy.

A two-week extension to the application window for the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) has been announced by Rural Secretary Fergus Ewing.

Applications can now be submitted until midnight on Tuesday 2 May 2017.

Previously published deadlines for Slurry Storage and Improving Public Access funding remain the same.

Information and presentations from a recent European workshop on data sharing are now available online.

The European Innovation Partnership on Agriculture and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI) workshop on 'Data Sharing: ensuring a fair sharing of digitisation benefits in agriculture' took place in Bratislava, Slovakia on 4-5 April 2017.

Rural Secretary Fergus Ewing has outlined the future of the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS).

The Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) is part of the £1.3 billion Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) 2014-2020. It provides essential income support to farming businesses in remote and constrained rural areas.

The Prince's Countryside Fund is currently open for applications until 13 April 2017.

This fund provides grants of up to £50,000 to innovative projects that will provide a lasting legacy to the individuals and communities they seek to benefit. Through the grant programme, more than £1 million each year goes to projects across the UK.

The grant programme currently aims to tackle the following key rural issues:

In this article, the Open Farm Sunday team at LEAF tell us why it's important for farmers to get involved and about support available to help you open your farm gates for this annual event.

The need for farmers to get public support for the vital work they do has never been more critical and LEAF Open Farm Sunday provides the ideal platform to do just this. Join hundreds of farmers across Britain and take part in the farming industry’s annual open day on Sunday 11June 2017.

A number of farming businesses are celebrating following wins at the 2017 Scottish Rural Awards.

Award categories encompass every aspect of rural life, from agriculture and food production, to conservation, education and tourism.

The European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI) is looking for your ideas for new Focus Groups.

EIP-AGRI provides support to projects which show innovation in linking research with farming or forestry practices. Each year at least five new Focus Groups start working on a range of themes.

You can now enter the Nature of Scotland Awards 2017 in nine categories including the Food and Farming Award and Marine Conservation Award.

These annual awards recognise and celebrate excellence, innovation and outstanding achievement in Scottish nature conservation.

The award categories are: