We are urgently developing research requirements with other European laboratories to make sure we understand and the disease (Schmallenberg) better.Scottish farmers to receive £3m in snow aid
SCOTLAND’S farmers are to receive £3 million in emergency funding to help cover the additional costs of dealing with damage caused to sheds by the recent bad weather.
The fund, which is classed as emergency aid, will help livestock farmers facing the cost of erecting temporary accommodation or renting buildings off their units after their sheds collapsed in the recent snow. Cabinet secretary Richard Lochhead told the NFUS conference today (Friday, February 19) the fund was necessary as these costs were not covered by insurance.
With calving and lambing approaching on farms, Mr Lochhead said the fund would help ensure good animal welfare. Farmers will be able to claim up to £6,000 per farm under state aid rules. Farmers wil be able to obtain forms to claim money from their local Rural Payments Inspectorate Directorate Offices. The deadline for applications is the end of March.
Mr Lochhead said a Scottish Government survey received reports of 500 collapsed sheds, but he said many affected farmers had not responded and he expects the total to be closer to 3,000.
A high proportion of farmers have no storm damage cover on their policies, and some tenants had also discovered that while landlords covered buildings against fire, they did not generally cover against storm damage.
Where farmers have storm cover, consequential loss for potato stores which have collapsed, for example, is part of this, and is therefore not part of the new fund; Mr Lochhead said he was aware of one claim for a collapsed potato store which exceeded £1m.
The working group which recommended setting up the fund is also to offer guidelines to farmers rebuilding sheds. In addition, it is setting up a group with the insurance industry to look at insurance cover conditions and Building Control so Scottish farmers are aware of insurance definitions.
Some of the £3m of funding may also go towards paying for safe disposal of asbestos, but Mr Lochhead said details on this would need closer examination.
