Scottish Government asks for CAP payment extension
The vital cash was supposed to be paid to the 6,000 farmers still waiting by Friday 30th June.
Last updated 22nd Jun 2017
The Scottish Government has asked for another extension to the deadline for making CAP payments.
The vital cash was supposed to be paid to the 6,000 farmers still waiting by Friday 30th June.
But the European Commission – that funds the scheme – now says the government has applied to push the deadline back to the 15th October.
Nicola Sturgeon was quizzed on the issues by Ruth Davidson at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday 22nd June, but refused to be drawn on whether an extension was being sought.
The commission is still considering the request from Holyrood, and is urging government to accelerate payments still to be made before the current deadline on 30th June.
If granted, it would be the second time the CAP payment deadline was extended – after IT issues last year caused delays.
NFU Scotland President Andrew McCornick, speaking from the Highland Show said: “We’ve asked for Scottish Government to have a clear and open dialogue with the industry on payments. Farmers and crofters should have been the first to know that once again there is to be a delay in payments. This does nothing to restore trust or build confidence.
“We have had many apologies about the system. We don’t want to hear sorry again; we want action that will ensure payments arrive in a timely manner.
“Failure to deliver farm support puts the whole of Scotland’s rural economy in jeopardy. Those farmers and crofters attending Day One of Scotland’s premier agricultural event at the Highland Show, are keen to do business, but are having to hold back on making business decisions and investment because of outstanding payments. They deserve transparency and clarity.
“If the extension saves the Scottish taxpayer £60 million in fines, that is good news but it takes the thousands of Scottish farmers and crofters who are still waiting on part or all of their payments no further forward and with no clear timetable provided. Some of those payments have been outstanding for 18 months. That is wholly unacceptable.”
Nicola Sturgeon is due to address the rural community at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh tomorrow (Friday 23rd June)