Farmers demand SNP minister names CAP payment date

[ladycrofter]

FFS

Regardless of peoples' opinions on subsidies in the future, this is the present and the government seems unable, once again, to honour its contract with the farmers of Scotland. NOT IMPRESSED.

In the Telegraph today:

NFU Scotland (NFUS) says it does not believe Richard Lochhead’s assurances that the payment of Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) money to hill and sheep farmers will be delayed for only a few weeks

 

[Crex]

In the Telegraph on 1St March 2016. You should know who your farming minister is.

Situation is still the same though, no idea when we're getting paid.

 

[Cowmangav]

Phoned at the beginning of the week - absolutely no schedule whatsoever, so who knows when the balance will get paid.

 

[Jim75]

From a friend who works in a local office, the 2 nearest offices hadnt started processing this years claim yet ( 2 weeks ago) as they couldn't due to software. You'd hope he was wrong but doesn't fill you with confidence for next years payment being on time.

 

[Cowcalf]

how many times have they blamed the computers etc ?

 

[KennyO]

They are processing claims as they have just contacted me about ours.

 

[Half Pipe]

we got an aecs draft schedule of work in February for a failed application in 2015
it was dated January 2017, I phoned and was told that it was a 'computer' error, a week later I got a letter saying application was rejected.
no wonder there is a backlog if they are reprocessing stuff from 2years ago.
its a joke!

 

[bobajob]

When is the beef calve payment coming?

Website been saying due for weeks now. Are the Scottish government short of money ...

 

[PSQ]

Will ScotGov be liable for a £125 million fine from the EU?

If you remember last year, ScotGov went cap in hand to the EU to ask for an extension to the 30th of June 2016 deadline, and the EU gave them a 'one off' exemption.

Well, given that the UK has just 'flipped the bird' at the EU, what are the chances that we will get another 'one off' extension, especially when last years fines were to be in the region of £125,000,000 of tax payers cash? Not forgetting that the cost of the botched software had skyrocketed to £170 million itself.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...acing-125-million-fines-after-snp-farm-payme/

And the punchline: the SNP think they're fit to lead the country into 'Independence'

 

[spin cycle]

Will ScotGov be liable for a £125 million fine from the EU?

If you remember last year, ScotGov went cap in hand to the EU to ask for an extension to the 30th of June 2016 deadline, and the EU gave them a 'one off' exemption.

Well, given that the UK has just 'flipped the bird' at the EU, what are the chances that we will get another 'one off' extension, especially when last years fines were to be in the region of £125,000,000 of tax payers cash? Not forgetting that the cost of the botched software had skyrocketed to £170 million itself.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...acing-125-million-fines-after-snp-farm-payme/

And the punchline: the SNP think they're fit to lead the country into 'Independence'

sorry......which one is nicola sturgeon

 

[PSQ]

sorry......which one is nicola sturgeon

The sheepish one that looks like its being tupped.

 

[Stuart J]

FFS

Regardless of peoples' opinions on subsidies in the future, this is the present and the government seems unable, once again, to honour its contract with the farmers of Scotland. NOT IMPRESSED.

In the Telegraph today:

NFU Scotland (NFUS) says it does not believe Richard Lochhead’s assurances that the payment of Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) money to hill and sheep farmers will be delayed for only a few weeks

Definitely don't think that was today's Telegraph.
Richard Lochhead hasn't been the farming minister since May.

It's now Fergus Ewing.

 

[ladycrofter]

Definitely don't think that was today's Telegraph.
Richard Lochhead hasn't been the farming minister since May.

It's now Fergus Ewing.

oops! I can't really keep up with them, they seem to be on a permanent jobs-roundabout. Didn't he used to be Transport Minister before he screwed that up? Or was it Education (also screwed up). Anyway I had checked the date on the Telegraph before I posted that and it definitely said 2017, who knows?

It is very very disappointing reading peoples' comments, that things still haven't been sorted out. And really, where is the NFU in all of this? A bit of posturing and hand wringing, don't want to offend the government you know, when they should have them by the throat.

 

[ThatsSomeSheep]

oops! I can't really keep up with them, they seem to be on a permanent jobs-roundabout. Didn't he used to be Transport Minister before he screwed that up? Or was it Education (also screwed up). Anyway I had checked the date on the Telegraph before I posted that and it definitely said 2017, who knows?

It is very very disappointing reading peoples' comments, that things still haven't been sorted out. And really, where is the NFU in all of this? A bit of posturing and hand wringing, don't want to offend the government you know, when they should have them by the throat.

Not sure where your info comes from, but it's a wee bit wrong.

Prior to Fergus Ewing, who has been in post now for about a year, the previous Cab Sec (Richard Lochhead) served for a period of 8 years.

TSS

 

[ladycrofter]

@ThatsSomeSheep Okay thanks. At any rate, I phoned the local office yesterday morning (Inverness and they are always so pleasant and helpful).

I was close to fainting because under the Applications 2016 heading, there was nothing AT ALL about our 2016 beef calf claims. And yet, I have a notepad where I keep a record of what I've entered. I looked again this morning and they are there WTF???? Yesterday it also listed options to see Applications for years ranging from 2014 to 2019, and the years were not listed in numerical order - odd. I ticked 2014 out of curiosity, and it was blank.Today it shows options to see Applications only for 2016 and 2015. The system is a complete mess.

So anyway she said that there is no date set for beef calf payments, which would normally be this month IIRC. They haven't even started the cross-checks with BCMS, and yet on the website my calf claims say Ready for Payment. She said they had been told to prioritise SAF (loan) payments and try to get them out by the end of the month. I suppose because the 2017 window is now open.

I am awaiting an email from her today regarding our own subsidies. We don't always get paper or email for payments and the coding used by our bank is a bit vague for identifying what is what, and of course matching it to the payments website is just about a non-starter. I just wanted to ask what her screen showed, because from our end a few things from last year say Pending on the website. The computer system is such a mess that she could not see quickly from her end whether the balance of the "loan" scheme had been paid or was still due to be paid, what is was called, or even whether we had signed the paperwork for the last such scheme. I think they are 'round the twist with it like everyone else.

One thing I do know for certain - this so-called government has only one item on its agenda, and it certainly is not agriculture.

 

[Top Tip.]

If it is any help the snfu met with Fergus Ewing a couple of weeks ago and discussed the timetable for the outstanding BPS 2016 payments and for the 2016 lfass as a follow-up to that meeting and to keep pressure on Scotgov Jonnie Hall met with them again to try and get a timetable for payment out of them,their intention is to pay the balance of BPS 2016,then move onto outstanding 2015 lfass as well as 2016 lfass then to move onto calf scheme and ewe hogg payments, Scotgov have said this week that payments will start shortly but have not given an exact date. Hope this helps.

 

[ladycrofter]

Thanks @Top Tip. That makes sense of the figures I received today from the Dept. It beggars belief that we are still waiting for 2015 payments.

 

[Top Tip.]

Thanks @Top Tip. That makes sense of the figures I received today from the Dept. It beggars belief that we are still waiting for 2015 payments.

There are 1700 claimants still waiting for part or all of their 2015 claim.

 

[High on a hill]

Does anyone know how accurate the Scottish Farmer is about Lfass not being paid until late June and is anyone else sick to the back teeth of this continuous messing with payments?!!

 

[capfits]

Certainly irritating and leading to a few cash flow management issues......