Rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing has offered his “absolute commitment to maintain Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme (LFASS) funding at least at 80% in 2020” as he looks to avoid any cut to LFASS.

Speaking at the NFU Scotland Less Favoured Areas Committee, the Cabinet Secretary said he would instruct civil servants to find workarounds to the EU rules which reduce payments to claimants in the 2019 and 2020 scheme years.

The Minister stated that he hopes to keep the farmers’ and crofters’ payment essentially the same for the next two claims, avoiding a 20% cut for 2019 claims and an 80% cut to 2020 claims.

Ewing said: “This year’s LFASS payments will be at 100%, which we are entitled to do so under the EU rules.

"For scheme year 2019 (payment spring 2020), the rules stipulate a maximum of 80%, but I am determined to find a means of providing funding by other routes which maintains the real level of support at 100% approximately rather than see funding go down to 80%, which would apply were we simply to follow the LFASS rules and do nothing more.”

He also hopes to find ways to deliver full payments to farmers and crofters for 2020 claims.

He said: “As far as it is possible, the real level of funding support will be maintained at approximately 100% for the next two scheme years.”