North East farmers knocked back from a Scottish Government investment scheme won’t be given the chance to reapply despite being given no clue as to why.
The Scottish Government’s Future Farming Investment Scheme was meant to help farms buy new machines and cut emissions.
But farmers and crofters across Scotland have stated they ticked multiple priority boxes only to be rejected, while bigger farms next door were given five-figure awards.
During portfolio questions from North East MSP Liam Kerr at Holyrood, SNP farming minister Jim Fairlie confirmed “some applicants” would be clued in to the logic behind the awards.
Mr Kerr asked whether the 85% of North East applicants to the Future Farming Investment Scheme would be given a chance to reapply or be given feedback on why their claims were rejected.
Mr Fairlie said the data is “not collected” for the North East Scotland electoral region but the Inverurie rural payments and inspections directorate “covers the North East area”.
He said it received 1,138 applications, of which 703 were eligible and 326 were offered a grant. Mr Fairlie directed farmers and crofters to an area office mailbox to record their concerns in the meantime.
Scottish Conservative Mr Kerr said: “I can tell him that in the North East, 85 per cent were rejected.
“Nationwide, the scheme received over 7,500 applications, but nearly half were ruled ineligible.
“But the scheme gave no reason for rejection to applicants.
“It offered no right of appeal, and it looks like a government over promising and under delivering, as the SNP voted down Scottish Conservative proposals, which would have seen the scheme reviewed, reported on and transparency provided to applicants.”
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Mr Fairlie said:
“No, we won’t be reopening that scheme but we will be, shortly, publishing details of how the applications were assessed and giving information on why some applicants were not successful.
“And as I’ve said, members of the public can contact the rural payments and inspections director area office mailbox to seek general guidance and feedback on their application.”
