CAP Payments

Following a ministerial update on the Common Agricultural Payments (CAPS) Stewart Stevenson SNP MSP for Banffshire & Buchan Coast, asked Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment, Richard Lochhead about potential delays to payments.

“The basic and greening payments process has been at the heart of what the cabinet secretary has said today, but farmers also wish to be assured that coupled support for beef and sheep and, indeed, the £60 million for less favoured areas are also on schedule to be paid in a reasonable time.”

The Minister responded explaining that some payments could be delayed in the coming months but that resources were focussed on minimising the effect on any other payments.

Mr Lochhead said:

“Stewart Stevenson is right that we have to recognise the importance of the payments other than the basic payments that will happen in the coming months. Normally, we pay the beef calf scheme in April and the less favoured area support scheme payments go out around March. I have said publicly already that some of those payments could be delayed by a few weeks, because the message that we have had from the industry is that all our efforts and resources should be focused on the basic and greening payments. However, clearly I am keen to minimise any impact on the other payments, given the fragility of some of the sectors involved and the cash-flow issues that they face.”