More than £296 million in agricultural support has been issued to Scottish farmers and crofters
More than four in five eligible Scottish farmers and crofters have received their Basic Payment and Greening support, with more than ÂŁ296m paid out since the beginning of September.
Payments had been made to 81% of businesses expected to qualify for the schemes, according to the Scottish government.
Farmers and crofters who received support through the ÂŁ21.4 million Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS) must confirm they have met the conditions of their award.
Their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and Greening applications cannot be considered until that evidence has been provided.
The deadline for submitting that evidence has been extended to 30 September.
The BPS is designed to support agricultural incomes, while Greening payments are linked to farming practices intended to benefit the environment and climate.
The wider payment window will remain open until July next year.
Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said receiving the money early could help farm and croft businesses with their planning.
“I appreciate that getting this funding into accounts early allows farmers and crofters to start getting on with their planning for the year,” he said.
Fairlie said the speed at which applications had been processed reflected the work of the Rural Payments and Inspections Division and the Scottish government’s commitment to continuing direct support for farming and food production.
He also urged FFIS recipients who have yet to submit the necessary evidence to do so before the end of the month.
“I am grateful to everyone who has submitted their FFIS evidence promptly and would encourage any FFIS grant recipients who have not yet provided the information needed to process their BPS and Greening applications to please submit that before the deadline on 30 September.”