Ewing confirms national loan payments due to arrive this week

Scotland’s farmers will begin to receive their national loan payments – equivalent to around 90 per cent of their expected support payment dues – this week.

The move to provide another loan scheme was announced last month by the Scottish Government with the aim of supporting the industry until full payment is made – most likely to be in late spring/early summer of next year – and will be worth around £254 million to the industry.

Rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing said: “The first tranche of Basic Payment Support loan payments will arrive in farmers’ and crofters’ bank accounts this week. These payments mean over 10,600 farmers and crofters will now have received

0 Fergus Ewing: all eligible businesses will get an offer up to 90 per cent of their entitlement earlier than ever before. With a further tranche being made later this week, payments worth over £250m will be injected into the rural economy, showing my absolute commitment to support our rural communities.” Ewing added that although the deadline had passed for applicants to be in the first tranche of payments, the estimated 6,000 farmers still to accept the offer of a loan could still apply – although payment was likely to be later.

He also said that work continued to ensure all eligible businesses who had not yet been offered a loan would receive an offer by the end of October.

He added that farmers and crofters would receive the balance of their BPS entitlement between March and June 2018.