4. To ask the Scottish Government how many farmers and crofters it has supported this year through the single application form. (S6O-02295)

The single application form is the application form that farmers and crofters must complete annually if they wish to claim a number of different support scheme payments. Last year, 19,408 businesses submitted a SAF. To date, approximately £557 million of funding has been issued under the various direct payments and Scottish rural development plan support schemes, with basic payment scheme and greening advance payments issued into the rural economy at the earliest time ever.

All scheme payments were started in line with the 2022 payment strategy timetable and have met, or are on course to meet, payment performance targets. The 2023 SAF submission period opened on 15 March this year, and the penalty-free submission period closed on 15 May, with 19,248 SAFs having been received to date. The late submission period runs until 9 June, with a penalty of 1 per cent per working day being applicable.

The support that flows from completion of the single application form is vital to the wellbeing of Scotland’s agricultural sector. In 2021, more than 93 per cent of single application forms were submitted online through Rural Payments and Services. What percentage of applications has the Government received online this year, and what efficiencies are achieved by farmers using technology in this scenario?

The member is absolutely right when she talks about the continuing importance of that funding coming through to the sector. I am pleased to say that more than 99 per cent of the SAFs that we received in 2023 were submitted online. We have had only seven paper applications submitted to date. That is a really big step in the right direction, because there are a number of benefits that come with submitting an online form. When it is submitted online, the information that is entered is validated, which reduces the risks of any errors or penalties.

The application is pre-populated with the most up-to-date land information at the time when an application is started, and farmers can choose whether to add seasonal land used the year before. Online applicants then continue to receive email updates and notifications about the scheme acknowledgements and the payment letters, as well as a whole host of other benefits.

As I said, I believe that it is a huge step in the right direction, and it is really positive that so many people are submitting their forms online.

The Deputy Presiding Officer:

I hope to be able to take the next three questions, so I will need succinct questions and also, Cabinet secretary, succinct answers.