Farming support payments
By Mairi Gougeon The COVID-19 pandemic and impacts of Brexit continue to make this an incredibly challenging time for Scotland’s farming community. Financial stability is more critical than ever, which is why I am delighted that we have delivered improved performance across all scheme payments in 2020 compared to 2019. We have paid more than half a billion pounds of farming support payments ahead of target and, in many cases, months before we did so in the previous year. A total of 99.5% of Basic Payment Scheme, Greening and Young Farmer funds were paid by the end of June, with the 95.24% target having been met by the end of February – four months earlier than the previous year. The Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme, Upland Sheep Support Scheme and the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme also delivered more than 99% of payments by the end of June. Meeting these targets during a global health pandemic is a huge achievement. Working from home, our teams have
ensured that CAP payments are made swiftly and the Scottish Government will continue do everything it can to support farmers and crofters as we gradually and safely move out of lockdown. Our approach has been to focus on the Single Application Form (SAF) in order to deliver payments at volume and get the industry paid as soon as possible. I would like to thank everyone who has supported this process, helping us provide our farmers and crofters with much-needed certainty, clarity and above all else, financial stability. Earlier this year we set out our timetable for when we aim to start making payments through our Payment Strategy for 2021, providing financial support and certainty needed to continue their work and support our wider rural economy. It is important to note that we set this strategy with confidence that we will meet these timelines but there are some risks to delivery that remain. But we will do everything we can to ensure farmers and crofters get their support payments on time, as we have done this year.
sheep
SCOPS launches Code of Practice to ensure safe and effective sheep dipping
A new Code of Practice has been launched by the Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) group, in conjunction with the National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC), to ensure access to the best advice on effective treatment of sheep scab with organophosphate (OP) sheep dip, minimising risks to users and the environment. Confirmation of resistance in sheep scab mites to the injectable macrocyclic lactone (ML) scab treatments, coupled with increasing concern that the use of these products is accelerating resistance to the MLs in gut-worm populations, means more and more sheep farmers have been turning to OP dipping for the treatment of sheep scab. In contrast, the number of farmers with their own dipping facilities has continued to fall, due to tighter regulation of the purchase, use and disposal of
OP dipwash. This means they have increasingly been turning to professional mobile dipping contractors – highlighting the need for support to those service providers. Reflecting the cross-industry reach of the SCOPS group, the new code has been developed by in conjunction with a number of industry partners, and is for everyone involved in the dipping process – from prescribers through to the end users on farm. Phil Stocker, National Sheep Association (NSA) Chief Executive, highlights why such partners viewed the iniative as being of such importance. He says: “If we are to safeguard the future of OP dips against the risk of scab mites developing resistance to the dip and protect the people involved and the environment, we must ensure dipping is carried out properly. This code, has the backing of organisations
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