It is welcome news that 7,500 hill farmers and crofters have been paid their LFASS loans worth £38m. They are getting 95% of the claim value which is up the 90% forward payment last year.

The remaining 5% is expected into bank accounts in April when all full payments are expected.

Farmers and crofters not taking up the loan amounted to 2,500 businesses, these will get their full payment in April too.

However, we must remember that the value of the payments is down 20% on the year.

This was due to the EU forcing the Scottish Government to phase out LFASS which has been on the cards for years.

Everyone is getting a 20% cut to their payments because the scheme doesn’t comply with EU rules. The budget could be used for a new compliant scheme but the Scottish Government is yet to create one.

The question has to be asked – where has 20% of the LFASS budget gone? This amounts to millions of pounds which was originally earmarked for farmers and crofters. The top slicing has happened, but where the cash has ended up is not clear. I know there are lots of new and growing productive businesses who would be in sore need of some extra support.