More than 17,400 active farmers and crofters in Scotland have now received their individual allocation of convergence funding, as part of an £86.2 million cash injection to the sector.

These initial payments are the first tranche of a £160 million package the UK Government has allocated to rectify the ‘historic wrong’ relating to EU Common Agricultural Policy funding that it did not pass on to Scotland between 2014 and 2018.

The catch-up convergence funding has been targeted to support active farming, with a focus on those who farm in the country's marginal uplands, hill farms and island areas. Further payment will be made in the coming weeks to ensure every eligible farmer and crofter, including new claimants in 2019, receive a payment by the end of March. A cap of £55,000 will be applied to the Basic Payment element of individual entitlements.

Scotland's Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “Since successfully persuading the UK Government of the need to return this money to Scotland, I have been conscious of the need to adhere to the spirit and original premise of convergence by ensuring it goes to those who it was originally intended to support. Our approach ensures that this vital funding gets to where it needs to be.

“With Pillar 1 payments already underway, it is the Scottish Government which is providing Scotland’s farmers and crofters with the certainty and financial stability they deserve,” he added.