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Sweet sixteen for food funding
06/07/2009
Details of the largest ever single round of food grants for Scottish companies were unveiled today.
Sixteen projects stand to benefit from over £3.3 million of new investment under round five of the Food Processing and Marketing Grants (FPMC) scheme.
This takes the total number of jobs created and safeguarded by the scheme to over 3,000 in less than a year, attracting additional investment of £70 million. New projects announced today include:
- £431,682 for Argo's Bakery in Stromness, Orkney, for a new processing facility
- £86,723 assistance to R&N Cessford in Brechin to support the purchase of new beetroot processing equipment
- £911,937 to Alba Proteins Ltd for a new rendering plant at Kintore, Aberdeenshire
Speaking on a visit to Orkney today, Rural Affairs and Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said:
"Scotland's reputation for being one of the world's finest producers of quality food has never been stronger.
"Despite the recession, retail sales of Scottish produce have increased significantly in recent years and the Saltire is instantly recognised across the globe as a stamp of outstanding quality and source.
"But we are not complacent and today's record level of investment is just a small part of the £75 million investment we're making in the industry.
"With the publication of our new national food and drink policy we have the recipe for success and the tools to create a food and drink revolution. If everyone growing, making, buying or selling food and drink in Scotland can pull in the same direction we can achieve the ultimate prize - a healthier, wealthier, more environmentally sustainable Scotland."
Keith Johnson, director of Orkney-based Birsay Heritage Trust, which is receiving funding for a new feasibility study, said:
"We are grateful that the Scottish Government is able to support this application for funding. The feasibility study will hopefully highlight how collaborative working within Orkney is able to produce results of benefit to the whole community. This in turn will benefit local industries, reduce food miles and provide the public with a wider range of nutritious locally produced grain products."
Martin Cessford, partner at R&N Cessford in Brechin, said:
"The grant will enable us to process in a more efficient manner, derive substantial environmental improvements though a shorter harvest period, reduce water use and provide our main customer - Baxters of Fochabers, with a range of products. Without the grant, the project could not have gone ahead, in the current economic climate."
Today's grants are part of the National Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation Grants Scheme, which in turn is part of the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). Grants are available to build or refurbish premises, purchase new equipment, support marketing and business development and encourage collaboration. A total of £60 million is being awarded over five years, along with £10 million through the Processing and Marketing Grant Scheme in the European Fisheries Fund, and £5 million through the Marketing Development Scheme.