Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead has announced that the National Reserve is now open to applications.

Those farmers who were frozen out under the old Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) can now apply for Basic Payment Scheme entitlements.

Mr Lochhead also announced that the Scottish Government is dropping the 2013/15 rule, due to incompatibility with other direct payment eligibility provisions, and will use the wider access provision instead. This will ensure that the Scottish Government can retain wider access for recent new entrants and ensure fairer treatment for genuinely expanding businesses which may have been at a disadvantage under the 2013/15 rule.

That change prompted Scottish Tenant Farmers Association chairman Christopher Nicholson to call for "stringent and robust activity criteria to ensure that the direct support payments go to the party delivering the agricultural activity and not the party who is simply letting out the land".

Mr Nicholson explained: "The 2013/15 rule meant that for a claimant to draw down future direct support on an area of land they would have had to be actively farming that land and making support payment claims in both those years. In anticipation of this rule being dropped, we have seen landowners retaining the benefit of subsidy entitlements when letting out land on seasonal lets, thus ensuring that the farmers renting such ground and delivering the agricultural activity are denied the support payments.

"STFA believes that further activity requirements are needed to avoid negative consequences. Current activity requirements allow landowners who let out land on seasonal lets to meet the criteria through basic land maintenance requirements, even though the other party is providing the agricultural activity.

"It is vital that Scottish Government ensures that active farming is rewarded and slipper farming is consigned to the history books, which has been a core aim of the new CAP in Scotland."

Market round-up

United Auctions sold 494 store heifers at Stirling on Wednesday to average 226.9p per kg (+0.6p on the week), while 628 store, beef-bred bullocks levelled at 239.8p (+4.1p). One-hundred-and-seven store B&W bullocks averaged 172.2p (+2.1p).

The Cumberland and Dumfriesshire Farmers Mart sold 4676 prime hoggs in Longtown on Thursday to a top of £128 per head and 261p per kg to average 193.5p (no change).

There were also 2562 cast sheep forward when heavy ewes sold to £158 for Texels and averaged £99.38 (+£5.71), while light ewes peaked at £83 for Cheviots and levelled at £59.17 (-10p). Rams sold to £149 for a Texel and averaged £93.93 (+£10.30).