Farmers are being reminded they can qualify for grant money from the Scottish Government for a range of initiatives to include carbon audits, soil sampling and analysis, and animal health and welfare interventions.

The funding is available to farmers for investigating how to be more efficient and environmentally sustainable.

Livestock farmers can work with vets on animal health and welfare to investigate a range of efficiency drivers that qualify for grant money.

For sheep, these can include fluke, worms, lameness, scab, or iceberg diseases (namely MV, CLA, Johnes, BD, and OPA). For cattle, they are fluke, worms, fertility, and pneumonia. Each farm can apply for two interventions in 2024, with £250 available for each intervention plus £250 top up on the first intervention for knowledge development.

Eleanor Legg from Clyde Vet Group has worked with several farms to claim the grant for OPA scanning to see whether this disease is holding flock production back. Parasite planning aiming to reduce reliance on parasiticides is also a valuable tool for sustainability.

The online claim platform has been updated to allow claims for AHW claims to be submitted in addition to carbon audit and soil analysis support. The process is quick and easy to use and can be accessed through the Preparing for Sustainable Farming Guidance page at www.ruralpayments.org where guidance and case studies can also be found.