Scheme to support Scotland’s upland sheep farmers opens

Hill farmers have three months to submit their application for the Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme (Susss), which is worth more than £7m annually to the sector.

Applications for Susss opened on 1 September and closes on 30 November.

The scheme pays a flat rate for each eligible animal, but the yearly rate is only set once the total number of eligible animals claimed is known.

See also: Scots government sets out plans for future of farm support

In 2021, the payment rate for an eligible ewe hogg was worth £61.65 a head, with the payment set at £58.80 in 2020 and £62.36 in 2019.

NFU Scotland Less-Favoured Area committee chairman Robert Macdonald said: “Susss is a vital source of support for more than one thousand hill sheep farmers and crofters and, in a year when every penny will count, they must make the most of this valuable funding stream.

“This support is not only important for farmers and crofters producing a fantastic product from some of the toughest farmland, but also to the local communities, which see a huge amount of reinvestment from these businesses.”

The scheme pays on ewe hoggs born on Scottish holdings which rely on the poorer-quality, rough grazing found in Scotland’s basic payment region three.

Claimed animals must be retained on the holding (including away winterings) from 1 December in the year of the claim to 31 March the following year.