Some 16,700 Scottish farmers and crofters would receive their Single Farm Payments on Monday, Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead has confirmed.
The payment run means a pre-Christmas boost to Scotland’s rural economy of around £328 million, with a total of 91% of farmers and crofters receiving a share exceeding the delivery target of paying 70% of claims within 15 days of the opening of the payment window from Monday.
On Monday, Mr Lochhead said: “I am delighted to confirm that 91% of farmers and crofters will receive their Single Farm Payments today, well ahead of Christmas.
“This support is vital for farmers, but with every £1 of output from the agricultural sector generating an additional 80p in other parts of the Scottish economy, the £328m million paid out today is clearly a welcome festive boost for all of Scotland.
“The Scottish Government has a strong track record in making early Single Farm Payments in full, and I am pleased to say that we are doing even better than we did at the same time last year.
“In fact, this is the best we have ever done.
“Our focus now is to try to ensure as many payments as possible are processed before December 31, which is six months ahead of the European Union deadline.
“Producers can help us to settle their claims by responding promptly to any queries they may receive from Scottish Government officials.”
European regulations fix a payment window that means payments can be made between December 1 and June 30 in the following year.
Payments are being issued to producers who have passed the Scottish Government’s eligibility checks. Due to European Commission conditions attached to payments, farmers and crofters who have outstanding inspections or other eligibility issues cannot be paid until these have been resolved.