Time of the essence for grant requests

Farmers are being advised to waste no time in applying for a share of the new £10 million Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grant Scheme (SACGS) announced earlier this week.

Grants of up to £20,000 for capital items eligible in the scheme were announced by the Scottish Government as part of its strategy to rebuild the rural economy after Covid-19.

Time is of the essence, as the opportunity to apply will only be open for five weeks.

It will also be a competitive scheme, with each item allocated a number of “green points” based on the impact they will have on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The aim is to provide grant funding for farmers to purchase agricultural equipment which will help to reduce GHG emissions, protect and improve the natural environment or support sustainable farming and land use.

Items include a range of livestock handling systems, weighing equipment, EID devices, calving detectors, precision-farming equipment, low emission slurry application systems, slurry store covers and very flexible tractor tyres. Mary Munro, Strutt & Parker’s head of farming, said that although the list of eligible items is relatively limited, the scheme could be a valuable opportunity for farmers already thinking of investing in such equipment.

She added: “The government has also chosen to base grants on standard costs, which will save farmers time and effort, as they will not be required to gather quotes.”

Full details on eligibility and how to apply will be available from Monday on the Rural Payments & Services website: https://bit.ly/31Nwkx8