The party is to devote its business on Wednesday to the growing IT scandal which has now cost the taxpayer tens of millions of pounds in cost over-runs, while leaving thousands of farmers out of pocket.
Now in a parliamentary debate this week, the Scottish Conservatives will call on the SNP to ensure farmers receive the cash they’re due immediately, without going through the Government's failed IT system.
The payment crisis started with a £200 million botched IT system which civil servants have been struggling to put right and the blunder has led to less than 50 per cent of farmers receiving payments that they usually receive in December.
Scottish Conservative rural affairs spokesman Alex Fergusson said:
“This shambles has gone on long enough and it is a shambles that is 100 per cent of the Scottish Government’s making.
“Last week, Richard Lochhead announced that he would ensure that the much needed Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) payment of £67 million would be paid promptly without having to be processed through the IT system.
“So far the Scottish Government has managed to make an initial instalment towards the Basic Payment entitlement to 54 per cent of applicants, although 75 per cent of the actual money has yet to be paid out.
“The Scottish Conservatives are calling on Richard Lochhead to take similar action to that taken with LFASS to ensure that his previous assurances that all farmers would receive 70 per cent of their Basic Payments by the end of March will be adhered to.
“If he can do it with LFASS, he can do it for the Basic Payment Scheme as well. Nothing less is acceptable if the Scottish Government is to retain any credibility at all within rural Scotland.”