Nicola Sturgeon pledges £200m to speed up CAP payments to farmers

Up to £200m in support payments for farmers struggling with delays to payments of EU funding will be available from the Scottish Government.

The cash advances will be used to mitigate major issues with delayed payments after a £178m IT system has been slow to process claims.

Farmers union the NFU had warned of a "deepening cash crisis" facing farmers and crofters.

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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said payments had not been made as quickly as the government had expected.

"I very much recognise the cash flow issues facing Scottish agriculture, which underpins our £14bn food and drink industry.

"That is why the Scottish government has earmarked up to £200m of national funds so that any farmer or crofter who has not received an instalment by the end of March receive a nationally-funded payment from the Scottish government in April," she said.

NFU Scotland President Allan Bowie said the union had been looking for leadership from government for months.

“Finally we have clear timelines drawn when all basic payment scheme claimants will receive the majority of their claims; when hill farmers and crofters will receive the majority of their Less Favoured Areas scheme money and beef payments have been promised in mid-April.

"That meets many of the demands that NFU Scotland has raised with Scottish government as a direct result of the cash flow crisis that has emerged in recent months.

"I praise the efforts of all those farmers, crofters and trade representatives who have taken time to brief politicians in the past few weeks,” he said.

Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said the handling of the crisis as “shambolic”, and that farmers had lost confidence in the Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead.

Scottish Labour's environmental justice spokeswoman Sarah Boyack said Lochhead “just wrings his hands and complains that it is all very complicated.

"I've already asked him what representations he has made to Europe to speed things up and received no reply. Of equal importance is what the position is likely to be next year?"