Funding

The creation of a nature-based flood protection scheme in Fife, woodland restoration in Midlothian and support to protect sand dunes and under-threat bird species in Moray are just some of the environmental improvement projects being supported in the latest round of Environment Grants from Crown Estate Scotland.

Public investment is planned for a major redevelopment project at Port of Nigg in the Highlands.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has approved up to £10 million to support development of the port’s Inner East Quay, which will result in the creation of a new heavy-duty quayside and the introduction of roll-on roll-off capability.

Livestock farmers and crofters impacted by sea eagle predation will benefit from further support to help with the management and trial of new methods of prevention of livestock loss.  

White-tailed eagles predate lambs and young sheep in some locations  which continues to have a significant emotional and financial impact on affected farming and crofting businesses.

The Scottish and UK governments have signed a £70 million investment programme with Argyll and Bute Council to deliver vital economic growth for the area.

Gaelic language broadcasting is to receive an additional £1.8 million to help build on the success of BBC Alba’s crime thriller An t-Eilean.

The increase is contained in the Scottish Government’s 2025/26 Budget and raises total funding for MG ALBA (the Gaelic Media Service) to £14.8 million in the upcoming financial year.

The 2025-26 Scottish Budget has been approved by Parliament, including £21.7 billion for health & social care and more than £15 billion for local councils, alongside social security measures supporting an estimated two million people.

The Budget invests:

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) has taken the keys to its new glasshouse as part of the multimillion-pound redevelopment and modernisation project at Newton Nursery near Elgin.

The Scottish Government and NatureScot, working in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, are launching the third round of Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS), the programme of support to help scale up private investment in Scotland’s natural capital.

Farmers and crofters will be able to continue to access payments to carry out soil analysis, carbon audits, and animal health and welfare interventions for an extra year, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon has confirmed.

So far, more than 8,500 claims have been received since 2022.

Orkney’s farmers, crofters and producers could benefit from a new local abattoir which will help them bring their produce to market, benefit the island’s economy and support high-welfare meat production.

First Minister John Swinney visited Orkney Auction Mart, which has received a £15,000 grant as a lead partner to help build the business case for a new, fit-for-purpose processing plant.