UNION CALLS ON SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT TO COME CLEAN ON PAYMENT TIMETABLE

Discussions open on early part-payment as NFUS believes full delivery in December will not happen
Believing that the Scottish Government will not meet its December window for delivering the new CAP support payments, NFU Scotland has called on it to come clean on the payment timetable.
The Union has put constant pressure on the Scottish Government to keep industry fully informed of progress in delivering the new support regime. NFUS has stated on several occasions that, in order to make crucial business decisions, farmers and crofters need to know a clear timetable of when payments are likely to be delivered, and also what the value of those payments are likely to be.
With applicants still waiting to receive details on both counts, the Union has said that there is an urgent need for Scottish Government to share with the industry where it is in processing applications and when farmers and crofters can reasonably expect payments.
As part of that constant dialogue with the Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead and his officials, NFU Scotland has now called for Scotland to use the flexibility provided by Europe and deliver part payment in November.
Speaking after meeting with Scottish Government officials, President Allan Bowie said: “In recognition that this is a new era for CAP support and challenging changes had to be made to the way support is delivered in Scotland, our one request from the outset of the process was for Scottish farmers and crofters to be kept fully informed of progress so that they could make informed business decisions.
“In recent years, many of those business decisions have been based around Scottish Government’s good track record in getting Single Farm Payments out the door and into bank accounts in early December.
“It is apparent to NFUS, based on Scottish Government rhetoric in recent days and weeks, that meeting that December delivery timetable is simply not going to happen.
“To compound matters, businesses have still to hear from the Scottish Government on what the value of their support entitlements will be. That is a legal obligation and without that crucial information, business planning becomes incredibly difficult in a year when almost every Scottish agricultural sector is under intense pressure.
“In the absence of a categorical statement from Scottish Government on payment timetable and values, we were left with little option other than calling on Scottish Government to investigate the feasibility of part-payment of the new support system in November, as permitted under EU rules. That is a decision backed by our Board of Directors at their meeting at the end of last week.
“We fully acknowledge Scottish Government’s track record in payment delivery in the past and the challenges that the new system was always going to pose. However, the current confusion and uncertainty risks undermining the goodwill that past performance has built up and in the absence of clear information, part payment will help deliver confidence and stability to our farm businesses.”