KELLY FINLAY
THIS WEEK marks the launch of Scotland’s new Farm Advisory Service.
Created as part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme, which is funded jointly by the Scottish Government and the EU, the £20m contract to run the service was awarded earlier this year to SAC consulting and Ricardo Energy and Environment, with plans for it to operate until the end of December 2020.
The FAS website (www.fas.scot) and telephone advice line for farmers and crofters (0300 323 0161) went live yesterday (Tuesday), and the service will expand over the coming weeks and months, delivering practical information and advice to farmers and crofters across Scotland.
The website will also host the entry point for grant applications for Scotland's integrated land management plans; specialist advice; mentoring for new entrants; and carbon audits, with application forms available for download. The advice line will operate between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, covering a wide variety of topics including cross compliance, water framework directive requirements, climate change and many other technical issues.
Alongside the general farm information, there will also be a new crofter and small farm advisory service, to provide discounted subscription and consultancy services for crofters and farming businesses that are under 30ha in size.
Welcoming the start to the new service, cabinet secretary for rural economy and connectivity, Fergus Ewing, commented: “Access to the best and most up-to-date advice is essential to any business. Aimed specifically at farmers and crofters across Scotland, I welcome the launch of the new integrated Farm Advisory Service, which will provide a faster and less complicated entry point to a range of relevant practical advice, information and tools, from business efficiency and viability to compliance and climate change advice.”
NFU Scotland’s director of policy, Jonnie Hall said: “The real need for relevant and accessible advice for all of Scottish agriculture has come into sharp focus over the last eighteen months. Looking forward, every active farmer and crofter in Scotland will need to look more closely at what they do and how they do it. That makes an effective and seamless advisory service essential. NFUS fully supports the development and roll out of the new Farm Advisory Service, and encourages all farmers and crofters to make the most of the new approaches, tools and techniques it has to offer.”
The Scottish Crofting Federation’s director Brendan O’Hanrahan added: "We are reassured that the basic network of SAC local offices, offering skilled and experienced one-to-one advice backed-up by intimate knowledge of the local area, is remaining as the backbone of the advisory service.
"As ever, local delivery is key. We welcome the provision of an expanded programme of information meetings, new entrants’ workshops and events on issues such as cross-compliance and biodiversity. The new FAS will result in better coordination across the country and a wider range of useful advisory material will be made more accessible.”
For in-depth news and views on Scottish agriculture, see this Friday’s issue of The Scottish Farmer or visit www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk
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