Rural services

In Spring 2022 the first part of the National test programme became live with the launch of Preparing from Sustainable Farming (PSF). 

Scottish Agritourism Roadshow - Shetland

This is a joint event with Scottish Agritourism and Taste of Shetland with support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and is open to farmers, crofters, other business owners and anyone else who have an interest in agritourism and the opportunity that it presents for Shetland.

Scottish Agritourism Roadshow - Orkney

This event is hosted by Destination Orkney and Scottish Agritourism with support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and is open to farmers, crofters, other business owners and anyone else who have an interest in agritourism and the opportunity that it presents for Orkney.

Scottish Agritourism Roadshow - Caithness and Sutherland

This event is being run jointly with Scottish Agritourism and Venture North with support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The event is open to farmers, crofters, other business owners and anyone else who has an interest in agritourism and the opportunity that it presents for Caithness and Sutherland.

Grant-funded advice through Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service (FAS) is available to help farmers bring costs down for businesses and offer options for diversification. All grant options can be tailored to the needs of the individual business and will be delivered by a qualified adviser.

Scottish Agritourism Roadshow - Wester Ross - focus on Crofting

This event is run by Scottish Agritourism in conjunction with the Crofting Commission, with support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and open to farmers, crofters, other business owners and anyone else who has an interest in agritourism and the opportunity that it presents for Scotland.

New research that explores the role that migrant workers play within the agricultural sector has been published.

Commenting on the ‘Seasonal Migrant Workers in Scottish Agriculture’ report, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said:

Farmers bringing cattle into Scotland will be subject to tighter controls in order to reduce the risk of spreading Bovine Tuberculosis (TB).

From 18 May, changes to legislation will come into force which will require stricter pre-movement testing of cattle, adding extra precautions for animals coming from areas of higher risk of infection.

A new framework to strengthen Scotland’s engagement with global connections has been published.

The Scottish Connections Framework seeks to expand links and networks with:

The study, by a sub-group of NatureScot’s Scientific Advisory Committee, analyses the unprecedented avian flu outbreak among wild birds since 2021, providing advice to support the work of Scotland's Avian Flu Task Force.

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