Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation

A picture of farmers market; (c) Scotland Food & Drink (SF&D)

Due to pressures on the Scottish budget, the Food Processing Marketing and Cooperation Grant Scheme will not be running in 2023/24

The scheme provides grant funding to businesses within the Scottish food and drink sector, and supports Scotland's journey towards becoming a Good Food Nation, where it is second nature to produce, buy, serve and eat fresh, healthy food.

The food and drink sector can also help to make Scotland healthier, wealthier and smarter, with stronger communities and production that is socially and environmentally sustainable.

Through this scheme, you can apply for:

  • start-up grants for a new food processing business
  • development grants for an existing food processing business

Funding can help you:

Capital Projects:

  • develop or create food processing facilities, including buildings and equipment

Non-Capital Projects:

  • market your products in home and export markets at
    national/international trade shows/fairs.
  • to run co-operative ventures to make sure more value is retained
    by both farmers and growers
  • to improve supply-chain efficiency

This is a competitive grant scheme and not all applications will be successful.

Please also note that in order to demonstrate the “incentive impact” of limited public funds any request for grant assistance of less than 10% of overall costs cannot be considered.

Work on your project can begin once you have received notification of approval of grant.

You must not start work on any part of your project, with the exception of preliminary costs before receiving notification of the grant award. Preliminary costs incurred before the grant award letter date are not eligible for grant funding. Any other costs incurred before the grant award letter date will make the project ineligible for funding.

Final claims for approved projects must be received by 31 March 2023, or we will be unable to make payment.

You must not start work on any aspect of your project, with the exception of preliminary costs before receiving notification of the grant award.

Eligible & Ineligible Cost Examples

We encourage applicants to be submit their forms as soon as they are ready. If all, or the majority of applications are received within the last week, this may have an impact on the expected notification of outcome date.

If you have any queries or questions please contact the FPMC Mailbox.

Conflict in Ukraine

Due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, applicants are now required to disclose any connections which their business has to Russia and/or Belarus. Further guidance on how we define a connection to Russia and/or Belarus can be found:

Capital projects - completing an application

Non-capital projects - completing an application

Fair Work

As part of our ongoing commitment to the promotion of fair working practices, we now require that applicants disclose whether they or their business have been convicted of any offences under Agricultural Wages (Scotland) Act 1949, or the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 within the last 12 months.

Any such convictions will result in businesses being ineligible to apply for the FPMC funding. Further guidance can be found:

Capital projects - completing an application

Non-capital projects - completing an application

Funding awards

The document below lists all of the projects that have previously been awarded FPMC funding.

Full scheme guidance

Full guidance

Please visit the dedicated page to access the relevant forms for this scheme.

Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation forms

This scheme is delivered through:

The Scottish Rural Development Programme logo