Organisations benefit from Small Producers Pilot Fund

A total of 32 small producers across the South, Central and North-east Scotland have benefited from £377,000 of support through the Scottish Government’s Small Producers Pilot Fund (SPPF).

The funding includes 17 projects in the Scottish Enterprise area and 15 projects in the South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) region, supporting a wide range of activities including livestock production, horticulture, beekeeping, processing and retail.

The SPPF provided a total of £500,000 across Scotland in capital funding in 2025/26, designed to help strengthen Scotland’s small producer sectors and enable them to contribute to the Scottish Government’s wider vision for agriculture.

SOSE administered the pilot in both the South of Scotland and Scottish Enterprise areas, offering grants of up to £10,000 for individual projects and up to £50,000 for collaborative initiatives.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) administered a further £170,000, supporting seven projects in their area. 

The full list of the SPPF grant recipients will published on the SOSE website in due course.

Lucy Filby, SOSE’s Head of Agricultural Transition, said:

“This short pilot programme has helped to quantify the need for small producer support in Scotland and identified the types of support needed.

“Trialling the provision of coaching alongside capital grant funding has enabled us to tailor support for the client.”

Martin Valenti, SOSE’s Director of Investment and Sustainable Enterprise, said

“The Small Producers Pilot Fund has been incredibly helpful to activate the entrepreneurial spirit that we know runs deep throughout the South of Scotland and beyond.

“We are pleased to have delivered the pilot along with our colleagues in Highlands & Islands Enterprise, and we look forward to seeing the fruits of the SPPF helping to grow our region’s capabilities for local food production.”

Bianca Leder, owner of Drumrash Farm Ventures based in Dumfries & Galloway added:

“The grant I received from the Small Producers Pilot Fund enabled me to purchase a polycrub - a kind of greenhouse suitable for the conditions of my small holding.

"It will allow me to move from being an ‘accidental market gardener’ selling excess food to actually being able to grow enough, early enough, and with variety.

“Having access to this kind of support from the Scottish Government makes a difference, not just for small producers but for the local economy because it allows us to produce more and better food and products for local people.

“It also shortens food miles and ensures people have a choice to access local accessible products.”

Rural Affairs Secretary, Mairi Gougeon, said:

“Scotland’s small producers are part of our rural heartbeat and make unique contributions to Scottish agriculture and our local food supply chains.

“To maximise their impact, we have tripled our capital investment in this sector to £1.5million in the coming financial year.

“I am pleased to see the range of small producers, businesses and the networks supporting them across Scotland that will benefit from our Small Producer Pilot Fund through HIE and SOSE.

“This funding has enabled us to test demand for this type of small producer support and we will assess the impact and benefit gained by small producers in building stronger relationships with the enterprise agencies.”

James Withers, small business advisor working with SPPF recipients explained:

“The fund has shone a light on the diversity and quality of Scotland’s small producers.  

“They remain the backbone of local communities and underpin the nation’s reputation for world class food and drink.

“Having spoken to many of these businesses in recent weeks, it is clear that these grants will make a transformational difference to them.

“They will act as a catalyst for small producers to enter new markets, embrace innovation and progress towards net zero.  

“These businesses will now take big leaps forward that they wouldn’t have been able to do as quickly or confidently without the fund.

“Crucially too, these grants will strengthen the resilience of local economies and food and drink supply chains - important in an increasingly uncertain world.”