RDOC/2015/0015
RURAL DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONAL COMMITTEE (RDOC) – 6 October 2015
AGRI-ENVIRONMENT CLIMATE SCHEME (AECS) BUDGET MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Background
The indicative budget allocations for AECS Options are set on a national and
regional level by Natural Resources Division (see Annexes 1 and 2). There is
flexibility to review these allocations to ensure maximum up-take of available
resources as well as facilitating delivery of AECS National Priorities.
Process
 Area Office Case Officers and the wider assessment network (which involves
SNH and FCS) will review all of the AECS applications received for a particular
round. Those applications that are complete, eligible and fit for purpose will then
be assessed and scored. Level 1 applications will then be initially approved by
the PAO. Level 2 applications will receive initial approval from the National
Project Assessment Committee (NPAC).

AECS Business Support Team will then collate these scores and produce a
matrix for each Principle Agricultural Officer (PAO) Command area. This will
show the number of applications, the options selected and the total value of the
applications.

The AECS Business Support Team will take account of the available budgets and
scoring at a regional and option level to advise each region of an indicative pass
score. The pass scores may differ across options and regions to ensure all
national and regional priorities are addressed appropriately.

Where the value of applications is greater than the available budgets or where
particular high priority options are involved, the AECS Business Support Team
may then suggest partial approval of some applications - the high priority options
(e.g. those delivering National Targets) within applications will be selected for
approval and the remaining part will be rejected.

As budgets become more constrained the AECS Business Support Team will
then assess which budget allocations are potentially over spending and which are
potentially under spending. The Scottish Government will then determine the
appropriate reallocation to ensure policy priorities are met. A similar approach will
apply if National Priorities change during the lifetime of the programme.
Revised budgets will be sent to the RDOC and JPMC for information, and to give an
opportunity to raise any issues with the changes prior to being implemented. Given
the Scottish Government will likely need to implement these changes quickly to
ensure approval process is not held up, this may be undertaken electronically.
Annex 1
Indicative AECS budgets for annual recurrent management (i.e. excluding
capital) per option
Option
Wader grazed grassland
Species rich grassland management
Habitat mosaic management
Wader and wildlife mown grassland
Corncrake mown grassland
Cattle management on small units (Introduction/retention)
Moorland management
Wild bird seed for farmland birds
Wetland management
Stock disposal
Creation of Hedgerows
Away wintering sheep
Water margins in grassland fields
Heath management (Coastal, serpentine, lowland and special
interest)
Forage brassica crops for farmland birds
Stubbles followed by green manure in an arable rotation
Unharvested conservation headlands for wildlife
Management or Restoration of Hedgerows
Corncrake grazing management
Beetle banks
Grass strips in arable fields
Retention of winter stubbles for wildlife and water quality
Conservation management of small units
Water margins in arable fields
Cropped machair
Lowland bog management
Management of buffer areas for fens and lowland bogs
Converting arable at risk of erosion or flooding to low-input
grassland
Managing scrub of conservation value
Predator control
Corn buntings mown grassland
Management of floodplains
Summer hill grazing of cattle
Tall herb vegetation management
Chough grazing management
Management of cover for corncrake
Ancient wood pasture
Chough mown grassland
Wildcat friendly predator control
Hen harrier grassland management
Total
Indicative 2015-20
budget (£)
18,366,000
15,043,000
12,478,000
11,777,000
10,087,000
9,031,000
7,573,000
6,870,000
6,516,000
5,660,000
5,660,000
5,163,000
4,296,000
3,773,000
3,643,000
3,643,000
3,643,000
3,077,000
3,072,000
2,604,000
2,604,000
2,428,000
2,170,000
2,148,000
1,777,000
1,578,000
1,376,000
1,233,000
930,000
842,000
826,000
757,000
684,000
594,000
457,000
403,000
312,000
135,000
94,000
62,000
163,385,000
Annex 2
Indicative AECS budgets for annual recurrent management (i.e. excluding
capital) per PAO Command Area
PAO Region
Highland
Argyll and Western Isles
Central
South Eastern
Northern and Northern Isles
Grampian
South Western
Total
Indicative 2015-20 budget (£)
31,284,000
31,071,000
25,748,000
22,944,000
20,827,000
17,859,000
13,652,000
163,385,000