Plans for the new Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) have been unveiled.

The proposals include efforts to protect vital rural development support for farmers, including the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS), as well as to increase funding for agri-environmental schemes.

The plans for the seven-year programme – which will be worth more than £1.3bn between 2015 and 2020 – are now subject of a formal consultation, while a separate consultation on Pillar One will be launched next week.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "A vibrant rural Scotland is one of our greatest assets and today I set out my vision for the new SRDP - an ambitious programme that will delivery our key priorities of sustainable economic growth, environmental sustainability and vibrant rural communities.

"The failure of the UK Government to negotiate anything like a reasonable budget settlement on our behalf will see Scotland continue to have the lowest rural development allocation per hectare in the European Union.


"That is a major disappointment - especially when you consider during the recent Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) negotiations the UK Government had the opportunity to join 16 other EU countries securing hundreds of millions of euros more in rural development funding.

"Despite this blow, I am determined that there will still be opportunities to support our rural communities and economy, and further utilise Scotland's natural environment and heritage.

"Thriving agricultural businesses are at the heart of my vision and with that in mind I am committed to continuing vital funding at current levels for our Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme (LFASS). This provides essential support for 85% of Scotland’s agricultural land and provides crucial support for farming and crofting businesses in our most fragile and remote areas.

"We will however continue to review this scheme in line with European regulations."

Mr Lochhead continued: "We must also continue to protect and improve our natural environment, and Scotland has ambitious targets for adapting to and mitigating the impact of climate change, along with biodiversity targets.

"I am minded to increase funding for the new environmental schemes which will be more effectively targeted to ensure we deliver the right actions, in the right place at the right time. This will be complemented by a new fund to facilitate co-operative action at a landscape or ecosystem scale."

(JP/IT)