CROFTERS are being urged by the Scottish Crofting Federation to take up the Scottish Government's offer of an advance loan on this year's Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme.

Chair of the SCF Russell Smith said: “Crofters rely on the LFASS – in fact the scheme was designed specifically to help marginalised areas of Europe that typically are inhabited by crofters or hill farmers.

“It is therefore helpful that the Scottish Government have again provided a loan scheme to ensure that payments are made quickly and the benefits of money circulating in the local economy are felt as soon as possible.”

Problems with the computer system installed by ScotGov to implement the latest round of Common Agricultural Policy reforms have had a knock-on effect to the administration of the LFASS, and delays have been experienced in getting the payments out in recent years, causing hardship to some crofters.

Owing to specific EU rules around governments making advance payments on EU schemes, ScotGov are making the offer of LFASS loans from domestic funding, which is not controlled by EU rules, in order to ensure that money is available.

Mr Smith added: “The delays experienced in receiving this life-line payment left many crofters in dire straits so the fact that ScotGov is using a creative mechanism to ensure that cash-flow is more predictable for these small business is to be applauded.

“I therefore urge crofters to take advantage of this opportunity. We could think of it not as a loan, but as an advance payment on what we are due.”