5. To ask the Scottish Government when crofters and farmers will receive their less favoured area support scheme payments. (S4O-05650)

Less favoured area support scheme payments will be made by the end of March 2016.

I suspect that, after the rally that we have just attended—I recognise that the cabinet secretary and the Deputy First Minister attended it, too—the cabinet secretary had better be right.

Does the cabinet secretary recognise that the question that farmers were asking outside was: can the Government guarantee that the full common agricultural policy payments will be made by the end of June? That is what farmers expect to happen.

As the member knows, the Scottish Government has just announced £200 million of national money to ensure that people can get their payments in April if their applications are not processed this month. That is a major sign of support for the sector, which I believe has been recognised across the industry—and, I understand, by his party, too. We will work flat out, because we want to get all the payments out as soon as possible. We have until 30 June. We have a number of months to go. Are we going to ensure that all the payments get out? Of course we are.

To what extent will devoting the necessary human resource that will be required to distribute the £200 million advance payment that the cabinet secretary has announced further delay the application process that must still be undertaken?

In recognition of the importance of supporting our farmers and crofters at this difficult time, we have employed additional staff. We have announced a scheme that we are confident that we are going to implement. That is the basis on which we announced it. It is vitally important to underpin our food businesses in this country.