SCOTLAND'S farmers have cried foul on Westminster's latest Common Agricultural Policy reform manoeuvre - and called in the European Commission to examine the validity of the move.
Writing to the Commission this week, the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) sought clarity on proposals for convergence of area payment rates throughout Europe.
This convergence, happening as part of the broader CAP reform process, requires EU Member States to move the area payments to their farmers towards the EU average of €196 per hectare. Scotland's current average payment is closer to €100 per ha.
Largely as a result of the low payment rate per Scottish hectare, the UK has received an uplift in its total CAP budget designed to help it meet this convergence obligations.
However, last Friday, and to howls of disapproval from across rural Scotland, Defra announced that the uplift cash would be shared equally between all parts of the UK, rather than being used to specifically address low payment rates in Scotland.
As well as writing to the Commission for its view on that approach, the NFUS has spoken to its legal representatives for their opinion on the CAP budget allocation.
Union president Nigel Miller said: "There was deep disappointment and a great deal of consternation that Scottish farming's share of the UK's CAP budget remained unchanged following last week's announcement on CAP budget allocation.
"Scotland's farmers had a justifiable claim that, as a result of receiving the lowest payment rates in Europe, a significant proportion of the uplift should have been used to deliver Europe's vision for convergence.
"Clearly for the UK, the convergence process has yet to start, but the agreed target of a minimum €196 per hectare in all Member States by 2020 is a solid statement of intent from Europe.
"The Defra CAP budget allocation last week was a missed opportunity to start to deliver on that using new money earmarked for that purpose."
Mr Miller added: "Convergence of Member State budgets and the internal convergence of area payments within regions is intended to move European agriculture away from support distorted by historical policy and timelines, towards a more level operating environment," he continued. "Convergence is a big step towards a truly common agricultural policy.
"We have written to the Commission to seek clarification on what safeguards it has in place to ensure transferred budgets are used to deliver true convergence within the recipient Member State."
A Defra spokesperson said: "Scottish farmers will continue to receive the highest payments per farm in the UK, and the one of the highest overall in the EU. The 1.6% decrease to the UK's CAP budget will be shared equally across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales."
For full comment and analysis of this latest Common Agricultural Policy budget controversy as well as in-depth news and views on Scottish agriculture, see this Friday's issue of The Scottish Farmer or visit www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk
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