It was announced today that the 2018 Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme (LFASS) budget will match that of the 2017 Scheme and that farmers and crofters will now receive 100% of their 2018 LFASS grant rather than a 2018 parachute payment worth 80% as was previously announced.

CAP regulations required LFASS to change in 2018, the options being either a move to Areas of Natural Constraint scheme or to maintain the LFASS scheme with a parachute payment of 80%.

Flexibilities adopted by the European Commission on the 12 December will be used by the Scottish Government to defer changes to the LFASS scheme by a year until 2019.

NFUS has welcomed the announcement from the Scottish Government’s budget which will safe guard vital payments to many hill and upland farmers and crofters in Scotland.  
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