Farm Business Development Scheme ( FBDS)
The FBDS was launched in 2001 and provides assistance towards investment in agricultural holdings (IiH) and the development of new, or the expansion of existing, agricultural or non-agricultural diversification enterprises, either on or off-farm. The aim of the scheme is to increase the income-generating capacity of the farming family. FBDS is discretionary, competitive and cash limited.
All legal occupiers of agricultural businesses outwith the Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme area, who have been actively engaged in agriculture for a minimum of two years, are eligible to apply for up to 50% financial assistance under the scheme. Immediate family members, resident on or adjacent to the agricultural unit, are also eligible to apply if they are acting with the legal occupier's consent. Collaborative projects may also be considered from groups of three or more eligible applicants, each linked to a separate eligible agricultural business.
FBDS diversification applications are considered in funding tranches by a local Project Assessment Committee ( PAC), which meets around four times per year. The maximum possible grant linked to an eligible agricultural business is £30,000 or, for a collaborative project, £35,000.
Decisions on individual projects will take account of priority for the business, local strategies, market and economic needs and the availability of funding. The PAC may, however, decline to recommend approval of an application, or may offer a lower amount of grant.
Anyone considering an application under FBDS should be aware that the scheme closes at the end of 2006. The final deadlines for receipt of applications are 15 August (diversification) and 11 September (IiH). For information on future support, see note on the Scottish Rural Development Programme ( SRDP) on the inside front cover.
CONTACT & INFORMATION -SEERAD Area Offices or FBDS Team, Area 1E, Pentland House, 47 Robb's Loan, Edinburgh, EH14 1TY, Tel: 0131 244 6167 or visit the Scottish Executive's website at www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/agri/fbds-00.asp