What incentives and funding it makes available under the Scottish Rural Development Plan (SRDP) and other avenues to encourage new entrants…

Under the2000-06 SRDP, the Environment and Rural Affairs Department has supported manyexcellent examples of farm diversification into horse-related businesses. Ruraldevelopment schemes such as the Farm Business Development Scheme (FBDS) andAgriculture Business Development Scheme (ABDS) have historically providedfunding for a range of equestrian projects. Since 2001, a total of 96 equinerelated projects have been approved for funding across Scotland, with grant totalling £1.63million. The types of project funded have included outdoor and indoor arenas,pony trekking centres, liveries and riding schools. We have also promotedhorse-related tourism in Scotland by providing support for a varietyof tourist accommodation projects which encompass equine-related services, suchas stabling for visitors’ own horses.
As thecurrent SRDP is coming to an end, the FBDS and ABDS schemes have now closed tonew applicants. For the new programme covering 2006-13, no final decisions haveyet been taken on specific measures to be funded but I anticipate that theextension of Land Management Contracts will make funding available to an evenwider range of businesses across the rural economy, including to the equineindustry, where eligibility criteria allow.