Forestry Grant Scheme capital inspections
Date published: 10 March, 2016
To see recent changes to this guidance, check the bottom of this page.
Under European Commission law, we must to check at least five per cent of the Forestry Grant Scheme capital claims each year.
Inspections are carried out on-site to check that the works have been carried out in accordance with what you agreed to do and against what you claimed on your Forestry Grant Scheme capital claim form.
The results of inspections can affect how much funding you receive.
The Forestry Grant Scheme options which require capital inspections are:
What we will look for
Our inspector will check the information you provided in your application and claim for payment.
They will also make sure you are meeting the required regulations, Forestry Grant Scheme option eligibility requirements and Forestry Grant Scheme capital items eligibility requirements.
For example, when we inspect your capital claim, here are some of the things that we look for:
- that the claimed work has been completed
- that all found works and quantities agree with the contract and the claim
- that the work / item are fit for the purpose for which they were funded
- that, where required, the explanatory EU funding posters or plaques are in a position readily available to the public (A3 posters for funding over €10,000 and plaques for funding over €50,000)
- that all work has been carried out to the required standard in accordance with the agreed minimum specification
Inspections outcomes
Our inspections are designed to make sure that the Scottish agriculture and forestry industries comply with European Commission rules and if Scotland does not meet these rules, the European Commission can fine the Scottish Government.
If you do fail part or all of your inspection, we will refer to this as a breach and may reduce your funding. Any reduction in payments will be assessed depending on how serious the breach is.
Our inspections underpin the correct payment of money under the Scottish Rural Development Programme.
More detailed information on Forestry Grant Scheme breaches and penalties is available.
Further information
For more information, contact your local Forestry Commission Scotland conservancy office.
Recent changes
| Section | Change | Previous text | New text |
|---|---|---|---|
| What we will look for | Guidance amended | For example, this will involve: • checking that the boundaries you have provided for the area of land you are claiming against are correct • measuring and assessing the management or new woodland specie type areas within woodland land parcels to check that the eligible area of the land you have claimed against matches the measurements you provided • checking that capital items have been implemented to the minimum standard required and to the quantity agreed | For example, when we inspect your capital claim, here are some of the things that we look for: • that the claimed work has been completed • that all found works and quantities agree with the contract and the claim • that the work / item are fit for the purpose for which they were funded • that, where required, the explanatory EU funding posters or plaques are in a position readily available to the public (A3 posters for funding over €10,000 and plaques for funding over €50,000) • that all work has been carried out to the required standard in accordance with the agreed minimum specification More detail on the EU publicity requirements is available. Publicity |
| Inspection outcomes | New text | - | More detailed information on Forestry Grant Scheme breaches and penalties is available. Breaches and penalties |
Previous versions
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