Hansard

7. Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD) LD

To ask the Scottish Government when the new future farming investment scheme will be open for applications. (S6O-05585)

The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity (Jim Fairlie) SNP

The First Minister announced that the Scottish Government has allocated another £14.25 million to a second round of the future farming investment scheme for ...

Willie Rennie LD

I hope that the Government is carefully reviewing the scheme, because many in the sector, particularly crofters and tenant farmers, feel that they were badly...

Jim Fairlie SNP

First, crofting has a range of specific schemes that crofters can make applications to. Secondly, on the future farming investment scheme, we are still worki...

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests, which states that I am a partner in a farming business.The Scottish Government found itse...

Jim Fairlie SNP

I reject the idea that the Government was forced into doing anything. We voluntarily put up a £21.5 million fund to help investment in farming. As I just sta...

Karen Adam (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) SNP

Does the minister agree that the £21.4 million investment, which will be augmented by at least a further £14.25 million this financial year, in addition to t...

Jim Fairlie SNP

Karen Adam is absolutely correct. Despite an extremely challenging budget situation, the Scottish Government will invest more than £660 million in support fo...

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Lab

The minister will be aware that many small farmers and crofters and those in island areas spent a lot of money preparing applications for the previous scheme...

Jim Fairlie SNP

Rhoda Grant said that those people should have been prioritised. I remind the member that applying to the scheme was not—and was never meant to be—a guarante...