The SNP has announced significant cuts to a financial support scheme worth more than £6 million to farmers in the Scottish Borders.
In a written statement to the Scottish Parliament, rural affairs secretary Fergus Ewing said he was slashing support for the less favourable areas by £40 million, with a further £42 million being removed from climate change schemes.
The announcement was made as part of a revision to the Scottish Rural Development Programme, which began in 2014 and will run until the end of the decade.
The Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) supports businesses in areas of the country which are harder to farm successfully, particularly in remote areas and will see its overall budget reduced from £459 million to £419 million. The scheme is worth £6.1million annually to Borders farmers.
At the same time, the newer Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS), which gives cash to farmers for green projects, will see its funding go down from £350 million to £308 million.
It is the latest funding blow for farmers on the back of the SNP’s mishandling of hundreds of millions of pounds in Common Agricultural Policy payments due to a botched IT system.
John Lamont MP said: “The SNP constantly scaremonger about the impact of Brexit on farm payments, yet it is this Scottish Government which are guilty of taking away important financial support from farmers.
“Farming businesses in the Borders receive more than £6 million in areas where it is more difficult to farm and millions more to encourage green projects. Both of these funds will now go down by a significant amount under the SNP’s watch.
“While leaving the Common Agricultural Policy gives us the opportunity to design our own farming support system, farmers need stability at the moment, not cuts to their financial support.”
Rachael Hamilton MSP said: “This vital support doesn’t just benefit farmers, it trickles down to the wider rural economy in the Borders.
“The agricultural economy is already struggling given the CAP payments fiasco and this announcement is yet another blow for farmers in the Borders.
“Many farmers were forced to take out loans because of delays in these payments last year and the news that this support will be reduced is unwelcome to say the least.”