SIR, – I was surprised and dismayed at the tone and content of your editorial and Euro notebook last week, wherein you alleged that Caroline Spelman and the Conservative/Liberal coalition she represents was in favour of ending Single Farm Payments for UK farmers, as this is not true.

While she believes that less support should be made through the Pillar One route (Single Farm Payment) and more through the Pillar II route, (SRDP funding and the delivery of public goods) it is simply untrue to suggest that she is advocating the end of Single Farm Payments as your articles implied last week.
Conservatives understand, are interested in and sympathetic towards the sustaining and development of rural Scotland and its communities and look forward to positively influencing the reform of CAP in 2013, and working with industry  stakeholders to achieve the best outcome for Scottish and UK farmers and rural communities.

John Scott MSP