ADDITIONAL £10 MILLION CONVERGENCE UPLIFT TO CROFTERS AND FARMERS IN MARGINAL LAND

Na h-Eileanan an Iar SNP MSP Alasdair Allan has welcomed today’s announcement from the Scottish Government that an additional £10 million will now be targeted at crofters and farmers on Scotland’s most challenging land.

Following last week’s announcement from the Scottish Government regarding plans for the distribution of convergence funding, concerns had been raised over the proportion of that funding which would be going to crofters.

However, after receiving representations from Angus Brendan MacNeil MP, Alasdair Allan MSP and other SNP parliamentarians across the Highlands and Islands, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy Fergus Ewing has unveiled plans to increase the amount of money going to crofters and those farming in marginal areas.

Alasdair Allan commented:

“This is a step in the right direction and I thank the Cabinet Secretary for listening to the arguments made by Angus MacNeil, myself, and others representing crofting interests.

“Today’s announcement means that a majority of the area-based payments from this tranche of funding will be going towards those crofts and farms which currently receive the lowest level of support. I believe this is much closer to the spirit of convergence than the original proposals, and is fairer towards crofters.

“This was the first of two tranches of money arising from convergence funding, and I will be making further representations to the Scottish Government to ensure that the second tranche is distributed in a way which is fair to crofters and those farming in marginal areas.”