Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 04 March 2026 [Draft]
04 Mar 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Portfolio Question Time
Future Farming Investment Scheme
First, crofting has a range of specific schemes that crofters can make applications to. Secondly, on the future farming investment scheme, we are still working out why people did not pick up the information that they needed to pick up and why it was not clear enough to them, despite the fact that the information about what should have been included when making the applications was in the guidance. We will work out how to make that simpler for people and, once we have completed that work, we will bring the scheme forward.
In the same item of business
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...