Scotland’s rural affairs secretary will on Monday raise concerns directly with a UK minister over the way he allocated Cap funds.
Richard Lochhead will confront Environment Secretary Owen Paterson at the European Agriculture Council meeting in Brussels over his decision to share out £190million with England, Wales and Northern Ireland instead of directing the cash to Scotland to address a longstanding budgetary shortfall which gives farmers here one of the lowest per hectare payments in Europe.
The cash was given to the UK as a so-called convergence uplift to increase payments nearer the EU average.
Mr Lochhead and organisations representing Scottish farmers and crofters have condemned Mr Paterson since. The Scottish Crofting Federation branded the share out a political heist.
Mr Lochhead said: “We have been handed a disgraceful budget – solely due to the UK Government’s dreadful negotiating and budget decisions – which leaves our farmers and crofters with the lowest Cap payments in Europe.
“This is compounded by Defra’s decision not to pass on to Scotland the full 223million euro (£190million) convergence uplift – a decision that goes against the wishes of both the European Union and Scottish Parliament – and flies in the face of justice and fairness.
“The whole reason the EU brought in the convergence uplift was to benefit those farmers with the lowest-per-hectare rates, and the only reason the UK qualifies is because of Scotland’s low payments.
“We must not forget that Mr Paterson argued in Brussels for a ‘substantial reduction’ of pillar one (direct subsidy) payments and would be happy to see them phased out altogether, but now says he needs the convergence cash to mitigate cuts to the pillar one budget elsewhere in the UK. Divvying that money up across the UK means that farmers in other regions are benefiting at Scotland’s expense. It is unfair and it is wrong and I will be pressing Mr Paterson to reverse that decision so that Scotland’s farmers get the money that is rightfully theirs.”
A spokesman for Defra said: “Scottish farmers will continue to receive the highest payments per farm in the UK, and one of the highest overall in the EU. The 1.6% decrease to the UK’s CAP budget will be shared equally across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales.”
It said Mr Paterson had sought and considered the views of Mr Lochhead and other agricultural ministers in devolved regions before reaching his decision on intra-UK allocations.
Defra said the UK had secured significant gains for Scotland in Cap reform negotiations and the right for the Scottish Government to implement the new Cap according to its priorities.