The Scottish Agri–Environment Climate Scheme is open for applications
The Scottish funding window for organic farm conversion and maintenance is now open until Friday 29th April 2022.
Scotland’s Agri–Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) provides a chance for farmers, crofters and land managers in Scotland to convert to and manage their farms to organic standards, by funding environmental improvements, to support the Scottish government’s ambition of doubling the amount of land under organic management.
Organic farming seeks to work with natural processes using methods that are designed to achieve a sustainable production system with limited use of external inputs.
Rural Payments and Services have outlined the funding available to support their aims to:
- deliver the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy by supporting appropriate management for vulnerable and iconic species and habitats, strengthening ecological networks, controlling invasive non-native species and enhancing the condition of protected nature sites
- contribute to Scotland’s world-leading climate change targets by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and securing carbon stores in peatlands and other organic soils
- meet obligations to improve water quality under the Scotland River Basin Management Plan by reducing diffuse pollution
- control flooding through natural flood risk management
- support organic farming
- preserve the historic environment
- improve public access
If you are a farmer or grower and you want to sell products as organic you must hold a legal certificate of registration from an approved organic certification body like Soil Association Certification. After your AECS application is submitted, you can apply to your chosen Certification Body and begin the process of converting your land to organic.
Scottish Ministers have also agreed to deliver future rounds this funding up to and including 2024, to provide ongoing certainty for farmers converting to organic.