Scots farm minister Richard Lochhead has hit out at Scotland’s share of a 500million euros (£367.8million) European aid package.
The package was unveiled at an extraordinary meeting of farm ministers in Brussels earlier this month – the same day thousands of European farmers descended on the Belgian capital to protest against poor prices.
The UK was allocated 36million euros (£26.5million) of this, and now Defra has confirmed that Scotland’s share amounts to £2.3million.
Mr Lochhead has described Scotland’s share of the funds as disappointing and said the allocation had been made without consultation.
“This appears to take no account of the challenges facing Scottish farmers such as the wet weather and issues also facing our lamb sector,” said Mr Lochhead.
“Our farmers have already lost out the full £190million convergence uplift and on the £1million red meat levy lost to Scotland annually – and yet again find themselves short-changed by the UK Government. It’s third time unlucky at the hands of Defra.”
NFU Scotland warned if the money was distributed in the same way as England – based on milk production – it would not be much for each dairy farmer considering how big their losses are.
Chief executive Scott Walker said: “The rest of the farming industry remains disappointed that the low prices and difficulties they are going through are not being recognised by Defra or the European Union which to many farmers in Scotland appear to be solely focused on the problems in the dairy industry.
“If all farmers are to be helped the simplification agenda needs to be pushed on with a far greater sense of urgency. This means no gold plating of rules that increases costs, bureaucracy and makes farming more difficult than it needs to be. It means stopping the insidious creep of rules that seem determined to strangle farm businesses’ and slowly but surely make us less able to compete with others.”
He added that payment of Cap monies at the start of December was crucial for farmers and crofters.