In brief for 26 November 2010
Single farm Payment
ALMOST 16,000 farmers across Scotland will be paid their Single Farm Payment at the start of December, the Scottish government said on Thursday.
The payment of £373 million on 1 December means that 81 per cent of those eligible will receive their payment.
Rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead added that by the end of the year a further 1,800 farmers and crofters should have received the annual subsidy.
UK fishing minister to visit
UK fisheries minister Richard Benyon is the second government minister to announce its intention to come to Shetland this week.
On Tuesday, it emerged that shipping minister Mike Penning had agreed to travel north for urgent tug talks.
On Thursday, isles MP Alistair Carmichael said Mr Benyon had given him assurances that he wanted a first hand experience of the Shetland fishing industry.
Mr Carmichael and a delegation from local lobbying group SHOAL met Mr Benyon in London, on Thursday, to discuss ahead of the EU end of year fisheries talks the ongoing mackerel dispute and the cod recovery plan.
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