Support scheme ‘parachute payments’ coming next year

Next year, hill farmers and crofters in Scotland will benefit from a “parachute payment” of 80 per cent of their Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) payment rate.

Outlining the future of the scheme, rural secretary Fergus Ewing explained that this was due to compulsory changes by the European Commission.

He said: “LFASS is vital for our rural economy and remote communities, providing support to more than 11,000 farmers and crofters. That is why we continued with the scheme, even when the UK Government stopped it. And it is why we are continuing with LFASS until 2018 to provide stability of funding and support for our farmers and crofters.”

Mr Ewing said, having looked at all the options to provide as much financial stability as possible to farmers, it was decided to implement the parachute payments in 2018.

He added: “Unfortunately I am unable to give farmers and crofters assurance on LFASS from 2019 as, despite repeated requests, the UK Government has still not guaranteed that the scheme will be funded in 2019.

“I have therefore once again written to the UK Government seeking assurance over LFASS 2019 and also the £190 million in external convergence uplift as a matter of urgency.”