Focus turns to Holyrood as Ewing prepares to unveil plans

Unless intently focused on the combine header, most farming eyes and ears are likely to be trained on the debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament later today as rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing rises to make a ministerial statement on the future of farm support measures.

Billed as an update on the programme towards stabilising future payments, the announcement is likely to focus on efforts to maintain direct support for farmers and crofters at current levels while putting the common agricultural policy (CAP) payment system on a secure footing. While it is unlikely that a fully-fledged plan for post-brexit support will be revealed, any indication of the direction which future measures is likely to take will be keenly pounced upon by an industry desperate for some hint of progress.

The statement will come only days after a call was made for the Scottish Government to commit once again to underwriting the national loan scheme which has operated for the past two years and which hasallowedpart-payments of farm support to be made before full EU checks have been completed.

The Scottish Conservative rural economy shadow, North-east MSP and farmer Peter Chapman, made a call at the weekend claiming there were “ongoing problems” with the IT system.

He said that 481 farmers were still awaiting payments that were due last December – and while England and Wales had paid out 99 per cent of dues by the end of the payment period in June, Scotland had only paid out 90 oer cent.

“This is all due to a £178 million IT system which is not capable of doing the job and may not work properly until 2018,” said Chapman.

“If there is any doubt that payments will be delayed again this year a loan scheme must be put in place at once.”