Scottish farmers are now able to claim grants if they take part in carbon audits and soil testing on their farms. The Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF) programme has opened, as part of the Scottish Government’s National Test Programme (NTP). As we wrote in February, ‘Track 1’ of this will encourage farmers to start collecting information on their businesses. This baseline data will then be used to measure future improvements. There is a goal to have half of all funding for farming and crofting be subject to ‘conditionality’ by 2025. Part of this conditionality will be making improvements in emissions and input use.
The Carbon Audit element will pay a fixed amount of £500 towards having an audit. The calculator to be used is not specified, but it must be compliant with the PAS 2050 standard to be eligible for the grant. Funding is only available for businesses that don’t already have a carbon audit, or if it is more than three years old. To be eligible for the grant, the Carbon Audit must have been reviewed by, and had recommendations from, a Farm Business Adviser Accreditation Scheme for Scotland (FBAASS) adviser. This will give pointers to how the farm can reduce its GHG emissions.
The Soil Sampling scheme covers only Region 1 land (land included on that year’s SAF form). The soil analysis is to determine the current levels of pH, Phosphate (P), Potash (K), and Carbon in the soil. If any of these are not included (e.g. carbon), then the testing will not be eligible. Payments will be the actual cost of having the testing done (the invoiced cost), plus an allowance of £4 for gathering the sample. However, there will be an annual ‘cap’ on payments; this will be the area of Region 1 land, divided by 5, multiplied by £30. Small farms (and crofts) will have a minimum annual allowance of £300. In the first year of the scheme there will also be a one-off payment of £250 as a ‘development’ payment. Before a claim for the Soil Analysis and Development Payment is made, the farm must have a current Carbon Audit (i.e. less than three years old).
There is no requirement to register for the grants – it is a question of claiming the funding once the work has been done. This is via a new online portal which will be accessed from the Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF) guidance page on Rural Payments and Services website. The full scheme guidance can be found at – https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/preparing-for-sustainable-farming–psf-/ .