Chamber and committees

A total of 7,582 applications were received, requesting £77.69 million in grant support.

A summary of the scoring mechanism has already been published on the scheme guidance webpages. This explains how applications were assessed through a combination of eligibility checks, verification of information provided, and merit-based scoring against the scheme objectives.

Variation in the accuracy and completeness of applications was a significant factor in the outcomes. Applicants were expected to provide clear and verifiable information, however a number of submissions contained inconsistencies or responses that could not be supported at inspection. For example, some applicants selected “Yes” to using the grant for electronic identification technology when applying for items such as creep feeders, hoof-trimming equipment, water troughs, or fencing, where EID was not relevant. Had these applications been awarded funding, they would have been unable to evidence how the investment delivered and the grant would have had to be recovered.

These issues may not indicate intent to mislead but demonstrated misunderstanding of the scheme’s contractual requirements. In contrast, applications that provided specific, accurate, and verifiable information were able to be scored properly and offered greater assurance of compliance with the scheme rules. This explains why some applications that appeared similar received different outcomes, and why robust assessment and verification were essential to the scheme

The sites in the pilot scheme, including which local authority they are located in, are listed in the following table. This list can also be found on the Scottish Government website: Sharing the gains of clean energy - gov.scot.

It is not possible for the Scottish Government to provide the cost of some of the advice it receives, such as internal legal advice, as this is work which would be taken forward by civil servants as part of their normal duties, and in line with usual practice, details of individual tasks carried out by civil servants are not routinely recorded, as there is no business need to do this. Additionally, it is a long-established convention that the Scottish Government does not disclose information which could reveal the source of legal advice other than in the most exceptional circumstances.

This new pilot scheme is a unique chance for communities to take ownership of renewable energy projects which need upgrading and to extend their operational life, bringing long-term benefits to the local area.

The Community Asset Transfer Scheme (CATS) is well-established, utilising an existing legislative framework that provides consistency of approach, a structured time bound route, and a defined appeals mechanism, if required.

Community bodies applying through FLS’ CAT Scheme will not be subject to a competitive tender. However, communities will still be required to pay rent, just as any business or community body would need to if operating a commercial wind farm on public land. FLS is responsible for undertaking due diligence and evaluation of the community proposal before agreeing a long-term lease of public land and a commercial rent.

FLS will engage with communities at an early stage on the criteria and options available to them, and signpost them to support available from the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) managed by Local Energy Scotland. Further information on the CATS notification, evaluation and decision process for repowering will be available by Spring 2026, before the first sites are notified.

As of 17 November 2025, there have been 45 outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza amongst poultry and other captive birds in the UK in the current outbreak period (since 1 October 2025): 35 in England; six in Wales; three in Northern Ireland; and one case in Scotland. In the same period 253 wild birds in Great Britain have been identified as infected with the virus, only 12 of which have been located in Scotland.

As with England and Wales, Scotland has had an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) in place since January this year, which has required all bird keepers in Scotland top apply strict biosecurity measures at their premises including measures to deter wild birds, prevent contamination and incursion into flocks and to apply best practice hygiene and husbandry process in order to protect flocks. Scotland has also worked with their operational partners, including the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to act rapidly on the suspicion of disease and to apply disease controls to close down the spread of infection at the three premises at which outbreaks have occurred in 2025.

Officials have been meeting with Scottish poultry industry representatives to discuss the correct and proportionate response to the current risk levels and outbreaks in the UK. The housing of birds in Scotland is being considered, but this is being balanced against significant welfare of impact of confining millions of birds, potentially over a sustained period. CVO Scotland will, however, continue to act swiftly and effectively in response to the changing situation and characteristics of this virus.

Scottish Government continue to issue disease prevention communications urging all bird keepers to apply robust biosecurity best practices in order to protect their birds and to remain vigilant for clinical signs of the disease in their flocks. They are reminded that it is a legal requirement to report suspicion of the disease.

This new pilot scheme is a unique chance for communities to take ownership of renewable energy projects which need upgrading and extend their operational life, bringing long-term benefits to the local area.

The 50-megawatt cap reflects the current size of community energy projects in Scotland – offering significant scope for larger-scale projects to be developed on the FLS sites. This cap will be kept under review throughout the pilot, as part of ensuring successful delivery.

A core team of six RPID officials from the Agricultural Development and Area Office teams were responsible for assessing applications to the Future Farming Investment Scheme. They were supported by a further six members of staff from across the RPID area office network, who provided additional capacity during the assessment and verification process.

Website analytics data is not 100% accurate for a number of reasons: including where users have opted out or blocked tracking. Additionally, some data is only retained for a maximum of 13 months.

Gov.scot implemented new cookie banner settings as of the start of September 2024. Previously all users were opted-in to analytics tracking by default (and could opt out); now the default is that all users must choose if they want to opt in or not. This caused a drop in traffic available in the dashboard which has been calculated to be 39% of the total site usage. Each of the figures below are the opted-in analytics users only.

Data from 8 October 2025 up to 9 November 2025

Paper title: A Fresh Start with Independence

Main paper URL: https://www.gov.scot/publications/fresh-start-independence/

Main paper publish date: 8 October 2025

Main paper views: 12,233

Easy read URL: https://www.gov.scot/publications/fresh-start-independence-easy-read-version/
Easy read publish date: 8 October 2025

Easy read views or download link clicks: 483

Audio URL: https://soundcloud.com/scotgov/a-fresh-start-with-independence

Audio publish date: 17 October 2025

Audio link clicks: 3

Translation publish date: 8 October 2025

Translation downloads:

Arabic: 5

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French: 4

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Italian: 1

Mandarin: 2

Polish: 3

Punjabi: 0

Romanian: 2

Russian: 4

Spanish: 2

Ukrainian: 2

Urdu: 1

BSL YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpP6-wYXyB0

Date BSL Version Published: 16 October 2025

Views: 3