Rural Payments and Services

What you can apply for

You can only apply for eligible investments listed in the Capital Investment Guide.

Investments must be:

• brand new
• meet the minimum specification and any other requirements set out in the Capital Investment Guide;
• be purchased and owned by the applicant business; and
• be used solely by or on behalf of the applicant business for the purposes and benefit of its agricultural activities.

An Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS)-supported investment must not be hired, leased, loaned or shared. It must not otherwise be made available for use by or for the benefit of another person or business, whether for payment or otherwise.

Machinery or equipment must not be used wholly or partly to provide agricultural contracting services to another person or business.

Investments must be new and meet the minimum specification and any other requirements set out in the Capital Investment Guide.

You may purchase an investment that exceeds the minimum specification, provided it continues to meet all other requirements. Grant support will not exceed the published Maximum Cost or Standard Cost, as applicable.

For example, if the minimum working width for an eligible investment is 2.9 metres, you may purchase a larger model provided it meets all other requirements.

Important

You must not order, purchase, pay a deposit, enter into a contract or otherwise commit to an investment before accepting your Offer of Grant.

Any investment committed to before you accept your Offer of Grant will not be eligible for FFIS support and your entire application will be ineligible and all grant money paid will be recovered.

What you cannot apply for

You cannot apply for:

• investments not listed in the Capital Investment Guide;
• second-hand, ex-demonstration or used investments;
• investments already owned by your business;
• like-for-like replacement of existing equipment that does not deliver an additional benefit or improvement;
• self-built or home-built investments;
• investments that have received, or will receive, funding through another grant scheme;
• investments intended wholly or partly for use by or for the benefit of another person or business; or
• machinery or equipment intended wholly or partly to provide agricultural contracting services to another person or business.

Ineligible costs

Unless specifically identified as eligible in the Capital Investment Guide, the following costs are not eligible for FFIS support:

• recoverable VAT;
• labour and installation costs;
• delivery and transport costs;
• professional, consultancy or advisory fees;
• consent, licence or permit fees;
• training costs;
• finance costs, including interest and charges;
• insurance costs;
• spare, additional or replacement batteries, chargers and similar accessories;
• running, repair, maintenance and servicing costs;
• warranties and extended warranties;
• consumables;
• subscriptions, software licence fees, connectivity charges and other ongoing service costs;
• computer hardware, software or applications that do not form an integral part of an eligible investment;
• fuel, energy and utility supplies;
• leasing, hire purchase or rental costs; and
• any other costs not specifically eligible under the Capital Investments Guide.

FFIS supports capital investment. A cost may only form part of an eligible investment where the Capital Investment Guide specifically allows it. The cost remains subject to the requirements and the Maximum Cost or Standard Cost for that investment.

Applying for multiple investments

You can apply for up to 10 different eligible investments in one application.

Investments are selected from the dropdown list in the application. Each different investment must be added separately.

You must not add the same investment more than once. Where you want to apply for more than one unit, or for a particular length or area of the same investment, enter the total quantity as a single investment.

For each investment, you must enter:

• the total quantity you are applying for; and
• the total cost for that quantity.

For a Maximum Cost investment, enter the expected eligible cost.

For a Standard Cost investment, enter the cost calculated by multiplying the quantity by the published Standard Cost.

The Grant Rates section of the guidance explains how eligible cost and grant are calculated.

You should only include investments that you intend to complete in full if your application is successful.

Every investment included in your application must meet the requirements set out in the Capital Investment Guide.

Every eligible investment will contribute to your Application Score in proportion to its Total Eligible Cost. You should therefore only include investments that meet the needs of your business and that you intend to complete in full.

Important

If you accept an Offer of Grant, you must complete every Approved Investment and the full Approved Quantity by the Completion and Evidence Deadline. You must also provide satisfactory evidence for every Approved Investment.

You must complete every Approved Investment and the full Approved Quantity. You must also provide satisfactory evidence for every Approved Investment. If you do not, Scottish Government Rural Payment and Inspections Division (SGRPID) will recover the whole Grant and may charge interest, unless SGRPID approved a reduction or removal in writing beforehand.