FAS in scotland

[Rich_ard]

Hello. Anyone used this service with a good result. Every time I speak to them I get different responses and seem sceptical they would be able to advise anything useful.
It's supposed to be funded but speaking to a sac advisor he said it will cost more than the funded element therefore I will still need to pay some towards it.
Sound like it's a easy way for them to charge the government for a easy pay out.
Anyone got any good outcomes from it?

 

[Bobby Spray]

FAS are a waste of time. I never had anything but gobbledegook from them.

 

[Rich_ard]

FAS are a waste of time. I never had anything but gobbledegook from them.

I don't even get a straight answer from them at a stand. I'd think I'm better paying an independent advisor myself. It's just a few times iv been told to speak with them.

 

[JockCroft]

I use SAC Commercial but keep getting emails from FaS. Are they separate businesses or same trying to get two bites at our miniscule Apple.

 

[Rich_ard]

I use SAC Commercial but keep getting emails from FaS. Are they separate businesses or same trying to get two bites at our miniscule Apple.

It's confusing. FAS said to contact sac. Sac said you need to go through FAS website. But I think you then pick an advisor who could be a sac advisor.
This is why I'm asking I'm more tempted to go direct to sac and pay for it myself. But if someone has had a good experience then I might be wasting my money and should go through the funded route from FAS.
FAS is the Scottish government, so I understand.

 

[JockCroft]

It's confusing. FAS said to contact sac. Sac said you need to go through FAS website. But I think you then pick an advisor who could be a sac advisor.
This is why I'm asking I'm more tempted to go direct to sac and pay for it myself. But if someone has had a good experience then I might be wasting my money and should go through the funded route from FAS.
FAS is the Scottish government, so I understand.

Do FAS not have charges?
There is funding through SAC such as for Carbon audit and Soil sampling which covered their fees. Just had to be paid during year and claimed February. Payment notice received last week.

 

[Rich_ard]

Do FAS not have charges?
There is funding through SAC such as for Carbon audit and Soil sampling which covered their fees. Just had to be paid during year and claimed February. Payment notice received last week.

As I understand it FAS will charge for it. I'm not sure they charge me or the government for it.
The sac guy I spoke with suggested they will charge more than the funded amount so I'll have to pay some of it.
Seen as no-one has given them great reviews I'm not thinking they are going to help much and I may aswell go direct to sac or another adviser. Or put some research in myself.

 

[SolwayFarmer]

It’s a poorly administered scheme by a company called Ricardo who deliver it for Scottish Government. The idea is that a farmer can apply for funding for a range of different areas/topics they then approve the application for funding, you then select an adviser who does the work sends it to FAS to be reviewed. They then send the report to you, you complete the feedback form and eventually the adviser gets paid the grant which is up to £1000 If the bill is more than that you pay the difference plus the vat. Huge amount of paperwork and faff but then that’s how Ricardo bleed the fund dry with admin costs.
If you contact FAS with a general one off query then that generally gets sent to a sac adviser to reply to you but it’ll only be a very brief reply and won’t be an in-depth response. The idea is you engage an adviser through the process above.
The idea is good but just really badly managed though Ricardo don’t have a great track record on delivery