Crofters still waiting on cash

JUST under ten per cent of farmers and crofters in Shetland are still waiting on subsidy payments which were due to be paid by the end of June.

Eighty two applicants are still due basic Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) cash for the year 2016/17, according to figures released by rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing this week.

Shetland MSP Tavish Scott said the Scottish Government’s handling of the EU payments has been “disgraceful”.

The numbers were requested by Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles, who called the Scottish Government an “agricultural aberration”.

More than 2,000 farmers and crofters across Scotland are still waiting on payments following issues with the Scottish Government’s new £178m IT system which is designed to administer the subsidies.

On the eve of Shetland’s first agricultural show in Voe on Saturday, MSP Scott attacked the government’s spending on a computer system which has repeatedly failed to pay out money on time.

Last year the government’s June payment deadline was extended to October.

“Crofters are receiving payments late and most cannot work out what they have been paid and when,” Scott said.

“Long suffering staff in the agriculture department office in Lerwick have had to fix the unfixable month after month.

“As Shetland’s show season begins tomorrow in Voe it is no wonder that there is not an agriculture minister within 200 miles of Shetland to face the ire of an industry fed up with their incompetence.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government commented: “There will inevitably be some cases that are processed before others, and often the more complex cases are required to be individually processed which may take more time.

“It is important to note though that, through a combination of payments made to date and the national loan scheme, the vast majority of farmers have already received their money.”

NFU vice president Gary Mitchell, meanwhile, will attend the Cunningsburgh show on Wednesday.