On behalf of the Permaculture Association I was invited to take part in the consultation process for the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP)
SRDP CONSULTATION : EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- The Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) is part funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and Scottish Government providing support for a range of economic, environmental and social measures. The current programme will end on 31 December 2013 and will have delivered around £1.2 billion of support to rural Scotland since it was launched in 2008.
- To access the European funding to cover the period 2014 – 2020, which will then be part funded by the Scottish Government, we are required to submit a new SRDP to the European Commission. This will include how we will deliver against European Union (EU) objectives for rural development and the funding articles we intend to use. This is the first of two consultations where we are seeking views on our proposals on how best to do this to support and develop rural Scotland, while making best use of public funds when resources are likely to be reduced.
- This first consultation outlines the European and Scottish context for the SRDP including the priorities for rural development. In addition the paper considers how the SRDP will align with other EU funds under a Common Strategic Framework. It discusses the investment articles that Europe allow us to use and asks which of these are the most important to Scotland, within the limited resources that are likely to be available.
- A key aspect in developing the next SRDP is consideration of lessons learned from the 2007 – 2013 SRDP and how we can use these to improve on past performance. This is particularly relevant for how we deliver much of the funding for land-based options and the consultation document proposes ways in which we can simplify and speed up the application process, while ensuring we meet the necessary EU and verification requirements.
- In addition it discusses how we can ensure the right thing happens in the right place through strategic targeting. The principles of collaboration, integration and innovation are also important and the consultation document considers how we can encourage these under the next SRDP.
- To support the delivery of the SRDP 2014 – 2020 the consultation document proposes how advice available to applicants can be improved to ensure we remain customer focussed while getting the best value for public funds.
You can find by response to the consultation in this letter and response form.
The complete report,
Consultation on Scotland Rural
Development Programme (SRDP)
2014–2020
Stage 1: Initial Proposals
May 2013
The complete consultation document can be found here
