Queries regarding the Future Farm Investment Scheme: EIR release
Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004
Information requested
(1) In terms of the second round of the Future Farm Investment Scheme recently announced please can you confirm:
(a) When the application period will begin?
(b) What part of the Scottish Government's 2026-27 budget this funding comes from?
(c) Whether the application conditions will be the same as the first round or different?
(2) Any briefing prepared for the First Minister on the Future Farm Investment Scheme.
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) In terms of the second round of the Future Farm Investment Scheme recently announced please can you confirm:
(a) When the application period will begin?
No decision has been taken on this matter while a review of the scheme and stakeholder engagement takes place.
(b) What part of the Scottish Government's 2026-27 budget this funding comes from?
The funding for the scheme will be part of the funds allocated under the Agricultural Modernisation Fund. Details of the budget allocation are available on the Scottish Government website Scottish Budget - gov.scot and the Level 4 workbook as part of the supporting documents Supporting documents - Scottish Budget 2026 to 2027 - gov.scot
(c) Whether the application conditions will be the same as the first round or different?
No decision has been taken on this matter while a review of the scheme and stakeholder engagement takes place.
(2) Any briefing prepared for the First Minister on the Future Farm Investment Scheme
A document pertaining to your request has been attached. 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 11 (2) (personal information) of the EIRs apply to that information.
The reasons why that exceptions apply are explained below.
Regulation 11(2) – personal information
An exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exception is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception.
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