Farmers who have been hardest hit by the extreme snowy conditions in March and last year's wet weather are to receive more financial help from the Scottish Government.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead announced a £6 million package on Wednesday, which he said will provide badly needed assistance for those hardest hit by the recent snowstorms and other severe weather in 2012/13. The £6 million figure represents a handsome increase on the £500,000 previously announced to help farmers deal with the cost of fallen stock.  

Mr Lochhead said on Wednesday that the specific details of the recovery package will be drawn up by a dedicated group. He added, "Mother nature has battered parts of Scotland in recent months with the worst snow in living memory coming hard on the heels of a miserably wet summer.

"This is undoubtedly a major challenge for the industry. While farmers are used to operating in volatile conditions, these latest problems are giving them sleepless nights. The severe weather - which hit when ewes were lambing and at a time when some stock was already weakened by previous poor weather – has led to severe losses for some farmers. I've spoken to many farmers and know the problems this has caused – not just in terms of devastating livestock losses, but also crops not harvested or not planted and increased feed requirements at a time of rising prices."

Although farmers are still counting the cost of the winter weather, it is known that fallen stock collections for sheep rose 50 per cent in April compared with last year and 25 per cent for cattle.