SNP must give farmers deferred financial support, insists Treasury minister
Laura Trott said ring-fenced agriculture money had been used in other areas by Holyrood ministers.
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Your support makes all the difference.The SNP must ensure farmers north of the border get more financial support, a Treasury minister has said.
Laura Trott urged the Holyrood Government to ensure cash intended for agricultural support is spent for this purpose.
In 2022, the Scottish Government was awarded £33 million following a 2019 UK-wide review into fair allocation of farming support.
But it did not add the funding to its agriculture budget, amid other spending pressures.
The National Farmers Union in Scotland has campaigned for the extra funding to be added to agricultural spending for the 2023/24 budget.
In the House of Commons, Liberal Democrat Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael said the deferral of the spending had led to “frustration felt by many farmers and crofters in Scotland”.
He asked Ms Trott: “What will she do in the future to ensure that where money is given for the express purpose of supporting Scottish agriculture that it is in fact used for that purpose?”
The minister replied: “The SNP Government have yet to clarify when this ring-fenced money will be returned and I hope they will do so this afternoon at the (Scottish) Budget.”
SNP economy spokesman Drew Hendry soon after sought to question the UK Government’s support for farmers in England.
He said: “The UK Government’s attempt to overhaul the EU subsidy scheme have left English farmers 35% to 50% worse off in cash terms than in 2020.
“Given the minister’s remarks that whilst the Scottish Government has sought to protect our farmers’ payments, can she guarantee that the UK Government will not try to undermine their payments and devolution by backdoor use of the Internal Market Act?”
Ms Trott responded: “I note that he didn’t answer my question or indeed the honourable gentleman’s (Mr Carmichael’s) question about when the ring-fenced money is going to be returned.”
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle intervened to say questions are “normally to the minister”.
The Treasury minister continued: “Very good point, but I still maintain that he does need to clarify this.
“Also I would point out that it is obviously up to the Scottish Government if they would like to at any point top-up the amount that goes to Scottish farming and I would encourage them to do so this afternoon at the Budget.”