Archive Article: 2002/05/17

17 May 2002

Farming Connect is a one-stop shop for Welsh farmers. It is tailored to meet the needs of farming families and is designed to help farmers improve their businesses through making available a number of services.

Farm Business Development Plan

Similar to the Farm Business Advice Service available in England, this service offers up to three free days of business advice carried out by a consultant chosen by the applicant.

The service, which is split into half days, is designed to help farming families plan the future of their business. This will be carried out by considering alternative income sources on and off farm and highlighting any training or environmental issues.

Eligibility

Applicants must have an agricultural holding number, an annual labour requirement of at least 550 hours on the farm and have at least three years sets of accounts. Applicants who meet the criteria may also be eligible for one or more of the following:

&#8226 Capital grants.

&#8226 Access to a network of demonstration farms showing best practice.

&#8226 Training.

&#8226 Technical Advisory Services for agriculture, diversification and forestry.

&#8226 Transfer of new technologies/ information their own farm.

&#8226 Free advice on environment/ pollution control.

Applications

Farming Connect (0845-600 0813

Business Connect (0845-796 9798

NAWAD Divisional Offices (See last page of Part 1 for contact details).

For farmers (at least 50% of time spent in agricultural activities) who wish to submit an application for a diversification project under the Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES) one day of free planning advice worth up to £800 is available.

The advice will be carried out by a professional with at least five years experience in rural planning and will include a site visit, an appraisal report/feasibility study and site plans and sketches (not detailed technical drawings). The service does not include completion of planning application forms.

Applications

DEFRA Rural Development Service (see last page of Part 1 for contact details). A summary of the proposed diversification project is required. If successful, applicants will be informed of four professional bodies from which they can choose a consultant. Applicants must pay the consultant and then submit a claim form to DEFRA.

These grants are only available within designated Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs). Farmers in NVZs can apply for grant aid towards the improvement of waste storage and handling facilities as follows:

&#8226 40% grants on one-off investments.

&#8226 The investment must not involve an increase in the production capacity of the holding and there is an upper limit of £85,000 eligible expenditure per business.

&#8226 Expenditure grant-aided under previous schemes does not count towards this limit

&#8226 Free advice will be available to help decide on the facilities required

&#8226 Grants will be available for facilities for the separation of clean and dirty water (other than roofing) where this will reduce the need for storage.

Applications

England: DEFRA Rural Development Service (see last page of Part 1 for contact details).

Wales: NAWAD Divisional Offices (see last page of Part 1 for contact details).

Has replaced the Countryside Premium Scheme in Scotland. It is an agri-environment scheme designed to protect and manage particular habitats and landscape features to enhance the conservation interest. It is available to farmers, crofters and common grazings committees throughout the country including those in Environmentally Sensitive Areas. Agreements are for five years.

Payment rates

Option £/ha £/acre

Prescriptions predominantly for bird life 100-190 40-77

Prescriptions for species-rich areas 25-250 10-101

Prescriptions for moorland (incl stock disposal) 1-45 1-18

Wetland features 25-400 10-162

Field margins and boundaries 70-736 28-298

Prescriptions predominantly for arable areas 120-600 49- 243

Woodland and scrub 55-100 22-40

Historical and archaeological sites £80/0.25ha £80/0.6 acre

Small unit prescriptions 5-290 2-117

Capital items

One-off payments are also available for capital items, such as:

&#8226 Bracken control: Year one of a five-year eradication programme £120/ha (£49/acre)

&#8226 Erection of stock fence £3/m

&#8226 Erection of gate and posts £25/m

Reductions

&#8226 Payment rates will be reduced to 80% for agreements with:

&#8226 Areas of in-bye land greater than 100ha (250 acres).

&#8226 Rough grazings over 1000ha (2500 acres) including moorland.

&#8226 Areas of common grazings over 2000ha (5000 acres).

Applications

Local SEERAD office (see last page for contact details).

Similar to the scheme in England and Wales, it offers area payments for five years on land being converted to organic.

Eligibility

Any land not already converted to full organic production is eligible. Prior to submitting an application form land must be registered with a sector body approved by the UK Register of Organic Foods Standards (UKROFS) and a conversion plan agreed. The minimum area of land eligible is 1ha. The maximum area of land that can be entered into the scheme is 300ha of improved or AAPS eligible land or 1000ha of rough grazing.

Payment rates (£/ha)

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total

AAPS-eligible land 150 150 50 50 40 440

Improved grassland 120 120 50 50 30 370

Unimproved grassland and rough grazing 10 10 7 5 5 37

Applications and contacts

Local SEERAD office (see last page for contact details).

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Open to farmers/crofters and their immediate family members in the Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme area. Similar to the Farm Business Development Scheme, it aims to provide assistance to invest in agricultural holdings and to expand existing or new agricultural or non-agricultural diversification enterprises to generate further income for the farming family. Scheme rules are similar to the FBDS.

Application

Local SEERAD Office (see last page for contact details).

Aims to provide funds to enable farming families to create new income opportunities or to expand or improve existing diversification enterprises, either within or outside agriculture.

Eligibility

The scheme is open to farmers, partnerships and limited companies operating an agricultural business for more than two years outside the Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme Area. Immediate family members living on or adjacent to the agricultural unit are also eligible to apply.

Suitable projects

&#8226 Alternative agricultural production.

&#8226 Leisure, recreation and sporting facilities.

&#8226 Retailing of processed agricultural products.

&#8226 Processing of forest products.

&#8226 Conversion of redundant farm buildings to residential letting.

&#8226 Tourist accommodation and facilities.

&#8226 Rural services.

&#8226 Training.

Payment rates

The maximum grant per eligible business will be £25,000 (or £30,000 if it is part of a collaborative project).

Approved projects involving diversification outside agriculture will receive a grant towards eligible costs of up to 50%.

Projects involving agricultural diversification will receive a maximum grant of up to 50% in the LFA and 40% in non-LFA areas.

Applications

SEERAD, Room 251, Pentland House, 47 Robbs Loan, Edinburgh EH14 1TY (0131-244 6372).

Provides area payments for producers who farm at least 3ha of eligible forage land in the Scottish Less Favoured Area. Similar to the English and Welsh schemes, this land must be grazed by suckler cows or sheep. However, LFASS is also available on land grazed by dairy cows, deer, and goats or alpacas for fibre production.

Payments

Support is made up of a basic area-based payment, an environmental element and safety-net arrangements from 2001-03

Basic area-based payments will be made according to land classification. The table below shows the rates for 2002

Land classification Improved pasture Rough grazing Min stocking £/ha £/ha density LU/ha

Moorland 30.40 9.60 0.12

Southern upland 39.40 11.40 0.38

Northern upland 45.00 12.50 0.27

A further payment of £20/ha of improved pasture will be paid to producers where their stocking density is below 0.5LUs/ha or the beef cattle element accounts for 10% or more of the stocking density.

Environmental enhancements

Are available where farms are extensively grazed and include a bias towards cattle. All farms will receive a top-up of £5.50/ha for all eligible land so long as the stocking density is 0.5LUs/ha or less or the beef cattle element accounts for 10% or more of the livestock units.

Safety net

In place for three years to assist existing farmers who lose out due to the new scheme. Provided applicants eligible forage area has remained the same; for the 2001 year, claimants received at least 90% of the payment that was made under 2000 HLCAs. In 2002 this percentage will fall to 80%; and in 2003 it will be 50% of the difference between the value of the 2003 HFAS (calculated as above) and 2000 HLCAs. If the area is less, the payment will be reduced pro-rata.

The schemes available for woodlands are UK-wide and include the Woodland Grant Scheme (WGS); Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS); Woodland Improvement Grant (WIG); and Woodland Challenge Funds.

Application

There is a joint application for the WGS and FWPS. Applicants packs are available from local Forestry Conservancy Offices or from your local SEERAD Office (See last page), or from the Forestry Commission, 231 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh EH12 7AT (0131-334 0303).

Provides grant aid for capital investments to improve the conditions under which agricultural produce is processed and marketed. The scheme is available in the Scottish Lowlands through SEERAD and in the Highlands and Islands through Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Local Enterprise Companies.

Eligibility

The scheme is available to sole traders, partnerships, groups of producers and private or public companies that process or market primary agricultural produce. It is also open to public sector organisations where they invest in an eligible project for others to use.

All projects must be consistent with the aims and objectives of the Strategic Action Plan for the Scottish Food and Drink Industry and must address the structural and marketing difficulties that exist in the agri-food industry. Consideration will be given to projects that, for example:

&#8226 Lead to the production of new products, new markets or innovative packaging or branding.

&#8226 Involve the use of organic products.

&#8226 Increase the value derived from byproducts or waste.

&#8226 Involve products designed for export markets.

&#8226 Shorten the food chain, by linking producers with processors.

&#8226 Involve collaborative marketing.

&#8226 Will result in value being added to farm produce.

&#8226 Create or safeguards employment.

&#8226 Make a significant contribution to the local economy.

&#8226 Result in healthier foods or products.

&#8226 Increase the consumption of healthy foods and improve the Scottish diet.

Grant rates

Grants of up to 40% of the total eligible costs are available (50% in the Highland and Islands Special Transitional Area). There are no maximum or minimum project costs.

Applications

Lowland Scotland The Scottish Executive, Rural Affairs Department, Room 257, Pentland House, 47 Robbs Loan, Edinburgh EH14 1TY (0131-244 6253/6389/6388).

Highlands and Islands Rob Clarke, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Bridge House, 20 Bridge Street, Inverness IV1 1QR (01463-244458).

There are many grants available to support crofters, crofting communities and to encourage young entrants into crofting, including:

&#8226 Building Grants and Loans (Crofters). For the erection and improvement of dwelling houses; for the provision of roads and domestic water supplies.

&#8226 Croft Entrant Scheme (CES). To financially support and encourage young crofters

&#8226 Crofting Community Development Scheme (CCDS). A variety of measures to aid crofting communities

&#8226 Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants (Scotland) Scheme (CCAGS). Grants covering a wide range of agricultural activities are available to certain people in the former Crofting Counties.

Applications

The Crofting Branch, SEERAD, Room 106, Pentland House, 47 Robbs Loan, Edinburgh EH14 1TY.

HEAD OFFICE

&#8226 Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department, Pentland House, 47 Robbs Loan, Edinburgh, EH14 1TY. Tel: 0131 2446015. A lot of information can be found on SEERADs web-site (www.scotland.gov.uk/agri/)

LOCAL SEERAD AREA OFFICE ADDRESSES

&#8226 Ayr Russell House, King Street, Ayr KA8 0BE. Tel: 01292-610188, Email: SEERAD.Ayr@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Benbecula Balivanich, Isle of Benbecula, PA88 5LA. Tel: 01870-602346, Email: SEERAD.Benbecula@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Dumfries Government Buildings, 161 Brooms Road, Dumfries, DG1 3ES. Tel: 01387-255292, Email: SEERAD.Dumfries@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Dundee Northern College of Education Buildings, Gardyne Road, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, DD5 1PE. Tel: 01382-462840, Email: SEERAD.Dundee@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Elgin 32 Reidhaven Street, Elgin, IV30 1VE. Tel: 01343-547514, Email: SEERAD.Elgin@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Galashiels Cotgreen Road, Tweedbank, Galashiels, TD1 3SG. Tel: 01896-758333, Email: SEERAD.Galashiels@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Hamilton Cadzow Court, 3 Wellhall Road, Hamilton, ML3 9BG. Tel: 01698-281166, Email: SEERAD.Hamilton@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Inverness Longman House, 28 Longman Road, Inverness, IV1 1SF. Tel: 01463-234141, Email: SEERAD.Inverness@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Inverurie Thainstone Court, By Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, AB51 5YA. Tel: 01467-626222, Email: SEERAD.Thainstone@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Kirkwall Tankerness Lane, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AQ. Tel: 01856-875444, Email: SEERAD.Kirkwall@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Lairg Ord Croft, Lairg, Sutherland, IV27 4AZ. Tel: 01549-402167, Email: SEERAD.Lairg@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Lerwick Charlotte House, Commercial Road, Lerwick, ZE1 0HZ. Tel: 01595-695054, Email: SEERAD.Lerwick@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Oban Cameron House, Albany Street, Oban, PA34 4AE. Tel: 01631-563071, Email: SEERAD.Oban@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Perth 1 Mill Street, Perth, PH1 5HZ. Tel: 01738-443266 Email: SEERAD.Perth@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Portree Estates Office, Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9DH. Tel: 01478-612516, Email: SEERAD.Portree@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Stirling 2 St Ninians Road, Stirling, FK8 2HR. Tel: 01786-473272, Email: SEERAD.Stirling@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Stornoway 10 Keith Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, HS7 2QG. Tel: 01851-702392, Email: SEERAD.Stornoway@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

&#8226 Thurso Strathbeg House, Clarence Street, Thurso, VW14 7JS. Tel: 01847-893104, Email: SEERAD.Thurso@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Under the Action Plan for Farming, Scotland has no specific schemes still open for application. Additional money has been made available under several headings and this is usually available to farmers through other schemes. These include:

Farm Business AdviceNo specific scheme for Scotland, but advice is available through Local Enterprise Companies and their small business gateways. Following foot-and-mouth, two LECS in particular – Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway – have set up local schemes.

Farm Waste Grant SchemeScotland does not have a similar scheme to those available in England and Wales, although one is under consideration following the planned expansion of NVZs.

TrainingNo specific scheme, but training is available as an additional option to the FBDS and the ABDS. For training advice contact Lantra National Training Organisation Scotland, Rural Centre, West Mains, Ingliston, Newbridge, Midlothian EH28 8NZ (0131-472 4131).

Redundant Buildings Grant SchemeNo specific scheme, but again grants are available through FBDS and ABDS. Under FBDS this includes renovating buildings for residential letting (not available in England).

Marketing Development SchemeAvailable in Scotland and Wales. Introduced in 1994 to improve the marketing and commercial expertise of farmers, growers and processors (including cooperatives). Details from SEERAD, Room 259, Pentland House, 47 Robbs Loan, Edinburgh EH14 1TY (0131-244 6294/6387).

&#8226 North Wales Welsh Development Agency, Unit 7, St Asaph Business Park, St Asaph LL17 0LJ.

&#8226 South-west Wales WDA, Llys-y-Ddraig, Penllergaer Business Park, Penllergaer, Swansea, SA4 1HL.

&#8226 South-east Wales WDA, QED Centre, Treforest Industrial Estate, Treforest CF37 5YR.

&#8226 Mid Wales WDA, Ladywell House, Newtown SY16 1JB. or Y Lanfa, Trefechan, Aberystwyth SY23 1JB.

&#8226 Phone 0845-777 5577 for all of the above offices.