The Scottish Government has recently published Peter Cook's review of the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). The review was commissioned in January (see previous article) and took place before the full-scale review which is required in 2010.
The report, which can be accessed here, focuses primarily on the Rural Priorities section of the programme and on the balance between the different parts of the programme. It's surprisingly easy to read and makes a number of recommendations, particularly in terms of the on-line application process, which has been a problem in areas without broad band. The Government appear to be prepared to accept most of the recommendations, so there will be some changes to how the scheme is being delivered. For hill farmers, there will also be changes to the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme over the coming months. One important change for community group applicants is the plan to increase the potential grant rate from 50% to 90% for community projects, which will significantly reduce the need to find match funding.
The Government has also announced a review of the Single Farm Payment scheme, which will be lead by Brian Pack, formerly the Chief Executive of the Aberdeen and Northern Marts group. He's due to report by Easter 2010, with the possibility of some early recommendations being published later this year.
