AgribusinessThe 2026 Future Farming Investment Scheme offers up to £20,000 per farm or croft at 50% to 100% rates, drops the priority groups that confused applicants and lets 2025 recipients reapply.
LivestockThe June 2026 agricultural census counted 1.67 million cattle, up 0.7%, and more pigs, but sheep and poultry fell, soft fruit hit a ten-year low and spring barley shrank.
OpinionIn a Pig World column, Easter Ross producer Dennis Bridgeford says cheap imports, expiring contracts and a cull-sow price of £7.80 a head are pushing Scotland's last independent pig farms towards the edge.
LivestockHighly pathogenic H5N5 avian influenza has been confirmed in backyard poultry at Ness on the Isle of Lewis, the first case of the 2026-27 season, and Great Britain has lost its disease-free status.
A herd of 12 Droimeann cattle, an endangered Irish breed, has moved to the Ardtornish estate in the Scottish Highlands to break up bracken and help native woodland plants recover.
LivestockNFU Scotland told Müller's leaders that about 28p a litre before transport leaves suppliers unable to cover costs, and that a September rise must be only the start.
CropsGrowers in Orkney and Caithness are battling saturated fields and losses, while further south yields are satisfactory, winter crops are going in well and potato lifting is advancing.
LivestockSeafield Veterinary Group has confirmed bluetongue in Aberdeenshire, one of 38 cases in Scotland this season, and urges farmers not to wait until spring to vaccinate sheep, cattle and other ruminants.
LivestockFifteen vet practices produce standardised antimicrobial use reports for cattle and sheep clients, and early results suggest use is lower than expected.
HealthFarmstrong Scotland's 2025 survey found 33% of farmers and crofters with low wellbeing, driven by fatigue, poor sleep, stress and the difficulty of getting away from the farm, much as in 2024.
LivestockJuly population data show Scottish prime cattle aged 12 to 30 months up 1.8% on a year earlier, which Quality Meat Scotland calls the most stable supply position in several years.
LivestockAndrew Connon told the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers conference that independent pig producers are in 'financial and mental hell', that disease is the biggest threat after profitability, and that strong beef and sheep prices are not translating into margin.
LivestockMossgiel Organic Dairy in Ayrshire had three calls in ten minutes from buyers south of the border and turned down a further 40,000 litres; AHDB puts UK daily collections 3.7 percent below last year.
