FFIS 2026 capital grants guidance published

Scottish farmers and crofters can now read the rules for the 2026 Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS), which were published on Monday 19 October.

Agriculture minister Jim Fairlie confirmed the £14.25m fund, with grants of up to £20,000 per farm or croft, regardless of size. Rates run from 50% to 100%, with the top rate reserved for specified environmental projects.

The applications window – due be announced in early November – will open later this year. Applicants must apply online through Rural Payments and Services, which will be offline from 23 December to 6 January.

See also: £20,000 grants to come in new Scottish ‘Future Farming’ scheme

Businesses must be registered with the Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Division (SGRPID) and have claimed eligible support on their 2026 Single Application Form. Applications will be scored and ranked, and applying early brings no advantage.

The changes follow a troubled first round in 2025. Only 1,672 of 7,584 applications won grants, worth £21.4m, and the result drew fierce criticism from farmers and crofters.

One agent said only two of more than 30 applications they submitted succeeded – both for large, established farms.

A parliamentary motion from Liberal Democrat MSP for Orkney, Liam McArthur, revealed that almost half (47%) of applications were ineligible, with only 3.7% of Orkney bids and 1.88% of Shetland bids receiving support.

Applicants complained of confusion and anger over the communication, and Conservative MSPs said amendments requiring clearer feedback for unsuccessful applicants were blocked.

Officials later reviewed the validation process and found data-handling problems in parts of it. The Scottish government has insisted that decisions rested on objective scoring and verified eligibility.

No priority groups

The new guidance abolishes the priority groups that confused applicants last time round. Everyone will be assessed using the same scoring method, and 2025 recipients can reapply.

This will be considered only as a final tiebreaker after the published score and cost criteria have been applied.

Mr Fairlie acknowledged the disappointment of unsuccessful applicants last year and said the Scottish government had listened to feedback.

“I would encourage farmers and crofters to use this to look at what they might qualify for and think about what investment support they could use to make their business more efficient and environmentally sustainable,” said the minister.

Successful applicants must buy and complete every approved item within nine months of the offer.