Dave Thompson MSP

Dave Thompson SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch today (12/11/14) asked The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment (Richard Lochhead) when the details of future common agricultural policy payments to farmers and crofters would be known and if the Cabinet Secretary was in a position to identify or quantify which areas will be affected by the area 3 rough grazing payments.

Mr Thompson welcomed the confirmation that that under the new policy crofters will receive around €32 million; a far cry from the €19 million received in 2011 and that, 34 roadshows are being held across the country to provide farmers and crofters with extensive information about the new CAP.

Commenting on this Mr Thompson said, “I welcome the roadshows which I expect will prove informative for farmers and crofters alike”.

“In particular, I would like to express my delight that crofters will receive €13 million more than they received in 2011 and notwithstanding the complexities alluded to by the Cabinet Secretary; I expect this to be well received within the crofting community”.

“I am pleased that crofters should now have received letters making them aware of the provisional allocation of the three new CAP payment regions and I would urge any crofter who has not received this information to make it known so they can be made aware as well”.