NFU SCOTLAND has welcomed the announcement from the Scottish Government of permanent changes to rules within the Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme.

The scheme, worth around £6 million, is designed to assist active hill farmers and crofters through a payment coupled to the number of ewe hoggs they keep as breeding replacements for their flocks.

The union has consistently called for the application period in the scheme to be extended to provide greater flexibility and reflect the poor weather and the difficulties that farmers and crofters can have in trying to gather hill sheep at that time of year.

Due to the poor weather last year, the 2017 scheme application period was temporarily extended – the Scottish Governmenthas now made that extension permanent. The SUSSS application period will now run from September 1 to November 30 (having previously been Sept 1 to October 16) and the retention period will be from December 1 to March 31 the following calendar year (having previously been October 17 to March 31).

NFUS Less Favoured Areas committee chairman, Robert Macdonald, who farms at Grantown on Spey, said: “These new rules will now make the scheme more effective, giving people time to access hill ground. The previous application window meant that some had to rush to gather eligible animals and, for some, this gathering would have overlapped with the stag stalking season.

“The union and our LFA Committee has been consistent in its calls for changes to SUSSS. Given the importance of this support package to hill farmers and crofters, it is vital that the scheme performs effectively for those who are eligible.

“Last year we saw the welcome temporary change to deadlines by the ScoGov due to the weather, and this gave people time to gather eligible animals. The problems with the weather in 2017 were exceptional but, by no means a one-off, and it is therefore welcome to see ScotGov make these changes permanent going forward.”