Future Farming Investment Scheme queries: EIR release
Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
Information requested
1. Please can you outline when the Future Farming Investment Scheme is likely to be launched?
2. Please could you provide an update on the total amount of funding that will be delivered via the scheme?
3. Any correspondence sent to or sent from Mairi Gougeon or Jim Fairlie relating to the Investment Scheme since February 2025.
Response
As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.
This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.
1. The Future Farming Investment Scheme was launched on 19 June and will be open to applications from 14 July.
2. With regard to the total amount of funding that will be delivered via the scheme that will be dependent on the level of successful applications; up to the budget allocation for the scheme of £14 million.
3. I also enclose copies of some of the information you requested.
Details of the Future Farming Investment Scheme is available in the Scottish Government website Future farming Investment Scheme - gov.scot and the Rural Payments and Services website Future Farming Investment Scheme .
Some information is not considered within the scope of your request and it has been redacted. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exceptions under regulation 10(4)(e) (internal communications), and regulation 11 (2) (personal information) of the EIRs apply to that information. The reasons why that exceptions apply are explained in Annex A enclosed with this letter.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG