Scottish Government opens loan scheme for 2017 LFASS payments
ByGemma Mackenzie
The facility provides a service to the area's crofters and farmers who without it would face having to transport their animals to the mainland for sale.
Scottish Government is to run a nationally-funded loan scheme for 2017 Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) payments.
Eligible hill farmers and crofters will be offered a loan of up to 90% of their LFASS entitlement, and payments are due to begin in April.
Speaking at yesterday’s NFU Scotland conference in Glasgow, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “I am delivering on the commitment I made last year to establish a loan scheme if I judged that this would be the best way to provide financial certainty to LFASS claimants.
“While we are making good progress in our handling of LFASS2017 scheme payments, and are on track to commence payments earlier than we have done in previous years, I want to offer as much certainty as I can right now.”
He said the scheme would inject up to £55million into the rural economy and assured farmers and crofters that it would not take away funding from any public services.
