SIR, – Considerable coverage has been given in the farming and national press concerning the delay in paying farmers their rural payment money.

If you are in a situation where you have not received any money at all, you have to consult your local area office as quickly as possible.

In my own situation, I received 80% on November 30, 2016; 10% on March 22, 2017; and a final 10% on June 22 22, 2017. I was also paid 80% of my LFASS on May 18, 2017.

The delay is now looking like entering a third year and this is unacceptable. One fact hardly mentioned by persistent critics, is that in England and Wales, Defra introduced a similar system in 2007 which resulted in chaos in paying out aid. The English and Welsh Defra organisation has been fined £642m by Europe – that is a lot of money.

To date, the Scottish Government has not been fined. However, the Scottish situation has given the usual critics the chance to put the boot in.

Your columnist, Jim Walker, screams that Nicola Sturgeon is 'totally irresponsible' and 'it is pathetic and unforgiveable' that the deadline of June 30 will not be met for 'desperate customers'.

I wonder how much of Mr Walker’s Basic Payment of £150,609.51 (that he got in 2016) he is waiting for as he struggles to make end’s meet. Mr Walker’s nickname is 'Walker the Talker' but to use the columns of The Scottish Farmer to fire insulting words at politicians who, for the last 10 years have served Scottish agriculture well, is completely out of order.

Robert Macintyre

Dunallan,

Rothesay,

Isle of Bute.