Extract from Scottish Parliament statement on Farming and Crofting (Support) - Jan 23
Friday, 24 January 2020 07:57
The Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy (Fergus Ewing):...Those
are not the only payments that our farmers and crofters will
receive this year. After years of campaigning, which was led by the
Scottish Government and supported by this Parliament and key
stakeholder organisations, the UK Government finally agreed to
right the historical wrong of keeping back the EU convergence
money. As a result, Scotland will now receive historical funding of
£160 million, and I have already advised...Request free trial
The Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy ():...Those
are not the only payments that our farmers and crofters will
receive this year. After years of campaigning, which was led by the
Scottish Government and supported by this Parliament and key
stakeholder organisations, the UK Government finally agreed to
right the historical wrong of keeping back the EU convergence
money. As a result, Scotland will now receive historical funding of
£160 million, and I have already advised Parliament of my intention
to split that between the current financial year and the next. I
previously advised Parliament that that would be done in two equal
payments of £80 million. Since then, however, I have engaged with
stakeholders including the Scottish Crofting Federation and the
Scottish Tenant Farmers
Association and have heard their
concerns about the need to ensure that more of the funding reaches
those who farm in the most marginal areas. Accordingly, I announced
a further package of measures for farmers and crofters, which
includes redistributing an additional £10 million in 2019-20 to
those who are in the most challenging areas, to be drawn down from
the second tranche of convergence funding.m the
second tranche of convergence funding...
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