Scotland’s flagship agri-environment scheme reopens in full
© Adobe Stock Scotland’s farmers have a three-month window to apply for the 2022 Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS), which offers funding for activities to protect the environment and address climate change.
The scheme opened for applications on 24 January, with the deadline for most applications being 29 April.
The AECS is Scotland’s flagship agri-environment scheme and is designed to promote land management practices that will boost biodiversity and improve air and water quality.
See also: Scottish farmers to get further £30m for agri-environment schemes
The scheme offers annual payments for a wide range of management options, ranging from leaving unharvested conservation headlands in arable fields for wildlife through to wetland and bog management.
Farmers can also apply for payments towards the capital costs of one-off activities, such as the installation of livestock tracks or hard standings for troughs and gateways.
The scheme is competitive and most applications will require a full farm environment assessment (FEA) covering the entire holding to be submitted.
Many other options will also require a supporting management plan.
Deadline exceptions
The main deadline for applications is 29 April, but there are a small number of exceptions.
Applications for grants to improve slurry storage facilities can be made during the main AECS window (24 January to 29 April), but the deadline for stand-alone slurry store applications is 24 June.
There is also a slightly later deadline of 31 May for large collaborative applications because of the additional time it can take to pull together submissions involving several businesses.
For applications for improving public access, there is a separate window from 28 February to 29 April, inclusive.
High interest expected
Mary Munro, Strutt & Parker head of farming, Scotland, said the scheme is a great opportunity for any farmers looking for grant support to help them adopt low-carbon farming land management practices and protect the environment.
The firm is expecting a huge amount of interest from farmers this year.
“This will be a full round of the scheme with all the options for environmental and habitat management available, which is very welcome after the past two years where only limited funding was offered.”
Other funding in Scotland
The Scottish government has also announced that 9,000 farmers and crofters in remote areas will receive payments this week under the 2021 Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme (LFASS).
A total of £65m is due to be paid out to farmers this year, with £47m expected to go out imminently.
The amount of funding available under the scheme has been restored to the same level as in 2018, a move that has been welcomed by farm leaders, given the challenges currently facing farmers because of escalating feed, fertiliser and fuel costs.
The government has also committed that LFASS payments will continue until 2024.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that an additional £600,000 has been allocated to support green projects on some of Scotland’s islands.
The money, which is being delivered through the Island Communities Fund, is supporting projects that assist employment, community resilience and contribute to Scotland’s transition to net zero and climate resilient living on islands.