Boris Johnson: I will make sure that Scotland's farms get the money they deserve

Today, Boris Johnson expands on his pledge to make sure that Scottish farmers get their fair share of CAP funding, and today confirms that Scottish farmers will receive £160 million in back payments. Under this new, expanded promise:

• Scottish farmers will receive an amount equivalent to the total amount of the ‘convergence’ funding that was allocated to the UK in 2013. 

• The Scottish government will be consulted on ways to deliver this funding to Scottish farmers as quickly as possible

Boris Johnson said: 

‘It is only right that, after we leave the EU on 31 October, we take this historic opportunity to unite our country. As we leave the CAP we can address many of the historic injustices that that system introduces, and make sure that Scotland’s farmers get the support that they are owed’.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• Boris Johnson has previously committed to addressing the lack of funding that is allocated to Scottish farmers and guaranteed that - in 2020 - they would receive an additional £25m. He has also committed to a review into historical payments to Scottish farmers since 2013. 

• Boris Johnson today expands on that promise and confirms that all £160 million that the Scottish Government says was owed to Scottish farmers over the course of the 2013-20 CAP period will be distributed to Scottish farmers (Scottish Parliament, June 2019, link). The review that was announced last week will be tasked with consulting with key stakeholders - including the Scottish Government - to make sure that these funds reach Scottish farmers as quickly and effectively as possible. 

• This one-off payment can easily be afforded via the £26.6bn fiscal headroom that was identified in the Spring Statement (Table 5.2, OBR, March 2019, link)