Farming

A consultation has been launched by the Scottish Government to identify ways to support the future of crofting across rural and island Scotland.  

Farmers and land managers in the central belt, who are thinking of planting trees but don’t know where to begin, are now being offered free woodland assessments from Scottish Forestry.

The offer applies to farmers in the central belt from Ayrshire, Inverclyde, Dunbartonshire right across from the west to Fife and the Lothians in the east.

Farmers attending NSA Scotsheep at the start of next month are being offered the opportunity to benefit from a post-lambing “MOT”, courtesy of Scottish agricultural charity, RSABI. 

RSABI’s Health Hut will be set up at the event on June 5th at Aikengall Farm, near Dunbar, offering attendees the opportunity to have a health check and haircut. 

The latest Knowledge Transfer Innovation Fund (KITF) opens today (Wednesday 22 May).

KTIF supports projects that help farmers and crofters to acquire new skills and share learning across the agricultural sector. Successful projects will receive grants of up to £200,000 to help farmers develop their skills and improve the competitiveness and sustainability of their businesses.

From the Solway Firth to the Highlands, and from rural farms to urban greenspace, new funding totalling more than £1 million for eight projects will support Scotland’s next steps to increase investment in nature.

A call to recipients of rural development funding to help with the development of potential future schemes has been made by the Scottish Government.