Free business advice and support for Scottish farmers

Farmers in Scotland can get free business advice and support through Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service.

The service gives farmers access to its network of 85 specialist advisers and 21 associates spread across Scotland.

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The advisers will help farmers look at ways they can improve the efficiency and sustainability of their businesses through varying amounts of one-to-one support, depending on what each farmer hopes to achieve.

Advisers will carry out an integrated land management plan to look at business sustainability, and also conduct a financial review.

The service can also give specialist advice on topics such as renewable energy, or carry out carbon audits to allow benchmarking of farm performance against other similar enterprises to identify areas with the most significant scope to make gains.

Mentoring

The programme also offers advice to new entrants and those who have been running their businesses for less than five years, through a mentoring support programme.

The mentor will provide guidance on the set-up and early growth years of a farm business.

The two-year free advice programme is part of a larger £20m project and has already received more than 370 applications for support since its launch in September last year.

Farmers who want to apply can get more information at Scotland’s Farm Advisory Services website or can call 0300 323 0161 or email advice@fas.scot.