This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Farm restructuring and diversification
19/12/2003
A total of over £400,000 has been awarded to farm
businesses in the Highlands and Islands following the
latest round of the Agricultural Business Development
Scheme (ABDS).
Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie today announced
that 26 projects would benefit from a share of £425,663,
allowing farming families to restructure or diversify their
farming businesses.
Mr Finnie said:
"The Scottish Executive is committed to increasing
prosperity and the quality of life in rural Scotland. This
scheme continues to play a major role in supporting farming
families and rural economies throughout the Highlands and
Islands.
"In providing assistance to invest in the agricultural
holding, the scheme offers farmers the opportunity to
restructure and improve their business and at the same time
gives environmental, animal welfare and health and safety
benefits.
"It has also helped many good innovative diversification
projects get off the ground. The Dell Farm Glenlivet Clay
Pigeon Shoot and the Glebe Farm Kennels are just two of the
successful projects that are now providing job
opportunities and first class facilities for the area.
"I hope the projects receiving awards today also go on
to be successful examples of what the ABDS can achieve and
encourage farming families in the Highlands and Islands to
consider whether they too could benefit from the
scheme."
ABDS is an innovative business development scheme for
farmers/crofters and their immediate families and operates
across the Highlands and Islands Special Transitional
Programme Area (H&ISTP). Farmers in the rest of
Scotland are eligible to apply for grant assistance under
the Farm Business Development Scheme.
681 applications have been successful since the ABDS was
launched, with total grants of £8,220,149 being
awarded.
ABDS was launched in late 2000, it is a discretionary
and competitive scheme providing variable grant assistance
of up to 50% to farmers wishing to restructure or
re-orientate production or to diversify either within or
outwith agriculture. The scheme is co-financed by the
Scottish Executive and the European Union.
The overall budget for the scheme is approximately£17
Million, which is broken down into yearly tranches in the
H&ISTP. At the moment, the scheme has the potential to
support more projects if eligible applicants come forward
with good proposals. It should be noted however that
scheme budget could be reduced or reallocated, if the spend
profile fails to match the annual targets agreed by the
European Commission.
Applications are assessed by a Project Assessment
Committee (PAC). The non-agricultural diversification PAC
is made up from representatives of the Scottish Executive
and from partner organisations including local authorities,
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Scottish Natural
Heritage (SNH) and VisitScotland. Industry interests are
represented by NFU Scotland, the Scottish Crofting
Foundation and the Scottish Landowners Federation, who can
send representatives to observe the proceedings. All of the
above organisations were involved in the Scheme's
design.
The closing date for the next round of ABDS applications
is January 12. The ABDS is scheduled to run until 2006.