Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of presiding over a “culture of secrecy” after it emerged her government is seeking an extension for delivering farm payments.
Scotland could be hit with millions of pounds in fines for missing the final deadline on June 30 to hand out the EU subsidies to the thousands of farmers still waiting for their money.
When asked at First Minister’s Questions whether her government had been in touch with the European Commission to ask for more time, the SNP leader said they are discussing “contingency arrangements” with Brussels.
European sources said hours later that the Scottish Government had asked for the deadline to be pushed back to October 15. The Press and Journal understands that request was made on Tuesday.
The latest row comes after the Scottish Government was criticised over its handling of the distribution of payments under the Common Agricultural Policy, which has been beset by late payments amid a failing £178million IT system.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said the SNP had “once again failed to deliver on time” for Scotland’s rural economy.
“Instead of confronting this issue when I raised it with her today, the first minister tried to duck it.
“This sorry episode only confirms the culture of secrecy and denial in the SNP government goes right to the top.”
A source at the EC said they have “now received a request from the Scottish government to extend the payment deadline from 30 June to 15 October for direct payments.
“In the meantime, the commission encourages the Scottish authorities to accelerate the execution of payments before the 30 June deadline.”
The delays, which have seen some waiting more than 18 months, have led to a cash flow crisis for many farmers, with the rural communities they operate in also suffering.
Nearly 6,000 farmers are still waiting for the 2016 CAP payments, with the deadline arriving a week today.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government confirmed they have written to the EC “to seek their agreement to extend the payment deadline – if necessary”.
He said that request, which has been made “on the grounds of the acutely challenging delivery and implementation issues we face in Scotland”, was “simple prudence given the timescales involved”.