Ensure all land is eligible for subsidy warns union

IF IN doubt take it out was the advice yesterday from NFU Scotland to their members and from the Scottish Government on only having eligible land in their subsidy claim form.

Most farmers will have completed their application forms back in May but both the union and the government pointed out that there is still time to remove land from the form if there is any doubt about its eligibility.

Union policy director, Scott Walker said: "Last year we drew to our members attention the hefty penalties that they could incur if found by Scottish Government, upon a farm inspection, to have claimed ineligible land on their SAF.

"The tightening of the rules on claiming land that has, for example, gorse, bracken or scree, will have meant that most farmers looked very closely at the land that they claimed this May and many will have already made the necessary adjustments on their claim form."

Walker admitted that many farmers left the submission of their SAF to the last minute and this often coincided with heavy spring workloads on the farm at the time.