UNCERTAINTY over the future of agricultural subsidies and an ever-changing economic and political landscape means that it is more important than ever for Scottish farmers and land managers to have a clear understanding of their business's resilience.

To that end, the Scottish Government is encouraging business owners and land managers to take advantage of the funding support now available to them via the Farm Advisory Service. Through FAS, Scottish farmers, crofters and land managers can pay an expert to undertake a thorough review of their business; assessing potential strengths, weaknesses and opportunities; and develop a practical, step-by-step, resilience action plan to address challenges.

There is up to £1000 available to fund a business specialist advice report. Using that, the adviser will work with the participating business to establish key performance indicators for financial resilience and analyse enterprise exposure, assess profitability and cash flow, and review the balance sheet. In consultation with the business owner or manager, the adviser will identify appropriate resilience measures and actions that can be taken, and develop a practical implementation plan for the business.

The submission window to apply for grant support to fund resilience planning is now open. Businesses can apply for FAS support online at www.fas.scot/specialist-advice/. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2020.

To receive a hardcopy application pack, contact FAS by calling 0300 323 0161 or emailing advice@fas.scot.