PAYMENTS under the new upland sheep scheme will not begin til July, rural economy CabSec Fergus Ewing confirmed at the Highland Show.
Ahead of the event, National Sheep Association Scottish officer George Milne had voiced concern that the special sheep support scheme claims were still being processed with no payments made to date.
“I’m disappointed with the delay," Mr Milne told The Scottish Farmer. "We asked how claims under the scheme were progressing at the end of May and were told payments would start in the first week of June. We are now three-quarters of the way through the month and payments haven’t started.
“Even more frustrating is that we are still waiting to hear the final figures. Above all it’s the sheep sector, and those farmers in Region 3, who are once again at the end of the queue. I’ll be meeting the cabinet secretary on Friday at the show and asking him to explain the position.”
NFU Scotland president Allan Bowie said: "It is disappointing and worrying that more IT issues lie at the heart of the delay in delivering the new hill sheep scheme. Having identified a scheme aimed at rewarding active hill sheep producers, and ensuring that our limited CAP budget is targeted at them, discovering at this late stage that reconciling claims with database information is a further problem will only leave producers both angry and bewildered.
“It is galling that those most active in these disadvantaged and vulnerable areas have been pushed to the back of the queue when many will view the ewe hogg payment as a vital support stream.”
With regard to the Beef Efficiency Scheme, according to a government spokesman, over 2000 beef producers will be accepted into the scheme, which accounts for at least 41% of the national herd, adding that both figures are expected to increase after all applications have been processed.
Mr Bowie commented: “The union understands that the number of animals accepted into the scheme is close to 180,000 and with some applications still to process, it is expected that the final number of cows included in the first year of the scheme will be close to 50% of eligible animals.
“From a standing start, the Beef Efficiency Scheme is to encompass around half of the eligible beef herd in the country in Year One," he added. "That is an important step towards maintaining the premier league position of the Scotch beef herd but merits consideration being given to scheme improvements in Year Two and beyond to support new farmers and those expanding their beef enterprises.” 
Updating on the progress with this year’s IACS forms, ScotGov was on more solid ground: “The total number of 2016 Single Application Forms received was 20,171 of which 15,357 (76%) were completed online. These figures represent a significant increase in online percentage over last year’s 65%.
“The online system was available to customers, excluding planned downtime, for 99.99% of the application window, and to staff for 99.93% which represents a huge improvement on last year and the service level the Scottish Government is committed to achieving.
“While the current focus is very much on delivering the remaining 2015 payments, Mr Ewing is determined to oversee and drive forward the work necessary to bring the payment regime back onto an even keel.”