The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
NFUS calls for flawed IT system to be scrapped
McCornick says new LFASS loans for farmers and crofters are a ‘priority’
Farming leaders’ patience with the failure of the Scottish Government’s IT system to deliver support payments finally ran out yesterday, with a top-level call for it to be shut down and replaced.
NFU Scotland (NFUS) delivered an ultimatum to Government, to take immediate steps to overcome the failures of the flawed £180 million system or put yet another loan scheme in place to cover 2016’s less favoured areas (LFASS) payments, which are taking even longer to be delivered than last year.
Union president Andrew McCornick described the three-year-old computer system as unfixable and likened persevering with it to “flogging a dead horse”.
He called on the Scottish Government to “bite the bullet” and repeat the action they took when NHS Scotland and Police Scotland experienced IT failures, by seeking refunds on the contract then switching off the systems.
The Scottish Government has previously bypassed the IT system to inject support into farming through loans when it became clear the computer would fail to meet deadlines and the rural economy was grinding to a halt.
A year ago a loan scheme delivered £55 million of LFASS support to 11,000 farmers and crofters.
In the absence of any clear timetable for paying this year’s funds, the union says the Scottish Government must now repeat the action.
Mr McCornick said: “Last year, the Basic Payment and Greening support came in two parts. This year, the national loan scheme in November was a valuable stimulus and a further 10% is arriving unannounced in accounts now.
“However, that means the IT system is now delivering these payments in full over three stages. That additional complexity is a step backwards, not forwards.
“For many of our hill farmers and crofters, support through LFASS is more valuable to them than Basic Support and the £65.5m scheme injects life into the most remote and vulnerable rural communities.
“This year there is no clear timetable when the system will be able to deliver LFASS, and that is unacceptable. A new LFASS loan is a priority.”
Last night, rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing said he wasn’t sure that the solution rested with discontinuing the IT scheme.
He added that 2016 Basic Payment Scheme/Greening payments had begun this week and said he was considering how to address issues relating to LFASS payments.