Meeting of the Parliament 04 March 2026 [Draft]
Karen Adam is absolutely correct. Despite an extremely challenging budget situation, the Scottish Government will invest more than £660 million in support for our farmers and crofters under the Scottish Government’s budget for 2026-27, which is similar to the amount that was allocated for 2025-26.
The support that we deliver through the FFIS is in addition to the most generous package of support on these islands, including more than £100 million in voluntary coupled support for livestock producers. In contrast to the UK Government, we have committed to supporting active farming and food production through direct payments, to provide the certainty that the industry asked for, and we have brought forward payment dates to ensure that farmers and crofters are paid at the earliest possible opportunity, to assist with cash flow.
Funding for Scottish agriculture is no longer separately identified in the UK Government’s settlement. I have made representations to make it clear that applying a Barnett-based population settlement is inappropriate for land and sea-based support and that it fails to recognise the potential of Scotland’s land and seas to contribute significantly to the UK’s climate and restoration targets.