The European Commission has announced plans for a £365million support package to help struggling farmers.
This follows an extraordinary meeting of EU farm ministers in Brussels yesterday, where more than 6,000 farmers and 2,000 tractors from across Europe gathered for a mass protest.
Angry producers took to the streets to call for action and before long the centre of the Belgian capital was gridlocked and at one stage police deployed water cannons to keep order.
The majority of the demonstrators were from France, Belgium and the Netherlands, but there were around 70 from the UK including NFU Scotland president Allan Bowie, vice president Rob Livesey and livestock committee chairman Charlie Adam.
The £365million EU package will focus on three key areas – addressing cash-flow problems, stabilising markets and improving how the supply chain works.
To help struggling farmers, the commission says the support package will enable all member states to provide financial support to dairy farmers.
Next member states will be allowed to pay up to 70% of their direct payment envelope from October 16, provided that the necessary checks have taken place.
And lastly, member states will be allowed to pay up to 85% of funds for animal-related payments from the rural development schemes.
Speaking from Brussels, NFU Scotland president Allan Bowie said: “First and foremost, Europe’s Agricultural Commissioner Phil Hogan must show stronger recognition that this is a crisis situation, hitting many commodities that are key to Europe, and there are a basket of measures at his disposal that can alleviate this pain.”
He said early delivery of support payments would help but it was unlikely to happen in Scotland because full validation of greening measures was required before payments could commence.
Mr Bowie said the Scottish target had to remain as full payment in December.