Section 16 - Eligibility criteria for support
110.This section elaborates on the type of provision that may be made in regulations under section 15. It does not represent a power to make regulations in its own right.
111.The setting of eligibility criteria is an important feature of support schemes and the section clarifies that criteria may be set by reference to a broad range of things – from the activities in question, how they are carried out, the land (or the location of land) on which activities are conducted etc. to the applicant’s personal circumstances (such as a person starting a new farming business or meeting a threshold for turnover from agricultural activity) and the collective nature of an applicant (to enable collective support for joint projects by grazing committees and co-operatives separate from individual support).
112.However, it is worth noting that this list of possible criteria is not exhaustive. There may be other criteria that are appropriate in the range of purposes covered and it is open to the Scottish Minsters to make provision in relation to such criteria. Further, the examples given in parenthesis are included only to aid understanding by giving a flavour of the kind of criteria being described.
