Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead is clearly becoming very frustrated at the lack of response to his requests for a higher Scottish rate of coupled payments.
Mr Lochhead is adamant that he has gained approval from the EU Commission to use 13% rather than the previously agreed 8% of Scotland’s CAP allocation for the purposes of production-linked subsidy.
The extra 5% has been provisionally earmarked to support sheep production, with the earlier tranche to be used for a beef calf scheme.
Time is running out, however, and he urgently needs Defra approval before he can propose a sheep scheme. A Scottish Government consultation on direct support ends on Friday, and Mr Lochhead has undertaken to reveal his implementation plans to the Scottish industry by late June.
His call for clarity came ahead of a meeting with the Defra Farm Minister George Eustice in Brussels.
Mr Lochhead claims to have written to the UK Government twice to ask whether Scotland will be allowed a rate of up to 13% once at the start of February, and again early this month after Scottish plans for an increase were endorsed in Europe.
“Scotland is a food- producing nation, and we need to ensure we have the right support in place for our farmers and crofters.
“Voluntary coupled support is an essential tool in our efforts to halt the decline in Scottish livestock production,” said Mr Lochhead at the weekend.
“It is now more than a month since I last discussed this with George Eustice and Commissioner Ciolos in Brussels.
“During that meeting, Commissioner Ciolos gave the green light to the UK Government to increase coupled support for Scottish farmers in the new CAP, but we still do not know whether this will be possible.
“I have not received a response to my requests for a higher rate of up to 13%, which could enable us to consider extending coupled payments beyond beef to the sheep sector,” he added.
“It is time for Defra Ministers to stop dragging their feet over this important issue and give Scottish farmers the clarity we urgently need,” he said.
“Clearly, voluntary coupled support is only one of a range of measures available to us to support Scottish livestock producers.
“However, it is key that the UK Government also takes action to support Scottish livestock by approving our proposals for increasing coupled support.”