Due to the Scottish Government’s £200 million blotched IT system – many farmers are still out of pocket after not receiving their CAP payments.
Scottish Government figures reveal that only 1000 payments were made last week which brings the total farmers paid up to around 40 per cent.
Now it is looks increasing unlikely that the promised payments will be made before the end of March.
Today, former farmers’ union leader, Jim Walker questioned whether “Richard Lochhead had completely lost control of his civil servants.”
Ian Duncan MEP also raised fresh concerns that hill and sheep farmers will not receive Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) payments totalling £65 million on time.
These payments were due to be made in the first week of March; however farmers have not heard anything from the SNP government on whether this deadline will be met.
Scottish Conservative rural affairs spokesman Alex Fergusson said:
“In the run up to the Holyrood elections the SNP have lost the trust of the farming community.
“With this late payments fiasco, IT problems and now hill and sheep farmers questioning whether they will receive their LFASS payments, is it little wonder why farmers have lost confidence in Richard Lochhead?
“The SNP’s main obsession at the moment is a second independence referendum. They seem incapable of addressing other issues and doing the job they were elected to do.”