Innovation

The Scottish Government are investing around £50 million a year into a portfolio of strategic research to ensure that Scotland maintains its position at the very cutting edge of advances in agriculture, natural resources and the environment. This will continue to build an evidence base to support policy needs in the environment, natural resources and agriculture portfolio and contribute to the delivery the National Performance Framework.

The latest cycle of a programme promoting sustainable innovation and transformational change in the agricultural sector has taken a step forward.

Backed by £1.7 million of funding, nine farms across Scotland will take part in the Scottish Monitor Farm Programme (MFP).

The programme focuses on practical farming and good business practices to build resilient, dynamic farms focused on reaching full economic, social and environmental sustainability.

The deadline for responding to the consultation for a new Agriculture Bill has been extended until Monday 5th December and an additional face to face workshop announced, which will be held in Orkney.

To date we have supported at six face to face events - Inverness, Portree, Inverurie, Oban, Melrose and most recently Stirling and have a further three planned events over the next few weeks covering Dumfries, Ayr and now Orkney 

A total of 33 businesses, large and small, will receive grants ranging from £16,000 to £1.4 million from the Food Processing, Marketing and Cooperation (FPMC) grant scheme.

Projects include capacity building for a dairy farm to meet the growing demand for its soft cheese, setting up of a new venison processing operation and installation of solar panels at a butcher premises to reduce carbon footprint and minimise electricity costs.

A new course in peatland restoration, the first of its kind in Scotland, is now open for booking. The course, supported with additional online learning, has been developed by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) in partnership with NatureScot Peatland ACTION and is aimed at graduates currently involved, or aspiring to work, in the planning of peatland restoration schemes which are a vital nature-based solution to the climate emergency.

Scotland’s farmers, crofters, land-managers, small holders and small landholders are vital to our ambition to make our nation fairer and greener, and small landholders are part of this farming ambition.

The next in a series of consultation workshops to support development of a new Scottish Agriculture Bill takes place in Oban on the 1 November and the Scottish Rural Network team will be there to support policy colleagues on the night.