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
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 itself forced into providing a drip feed of information about the chaotic introduction of round 1 of the scheme, whether through parliamentary questions, freedom of information requests or information that came directly from applicants. Does the minister intend that to be the case with round 2, or will he commit to proactively publishing—in good time—the sort of data on round 2 that I and other colleagues attempted to compel through amendments to the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, which he and his party colleagues joined in voted down?
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...