This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Extension of cattle improvement scheme
26/08/2005
A one year extension of the interim arrangements for
improving the quality of cattle in crofting areas was
announced today.
The arrangements will be extended to enable people who
used the scheme last year to have some certainty in
maintaining progress in improving their stock.
In addition, other crofting groups who had a bull hire
contract which expired this year will be given access to
these arrangements in 2005/06. This will give these groups
access to bull hires with a grant of 50 per cent of the
cost of hire.
Applicants will be required to produce a simple cattle
improvement plan, covering areas such as breeding, cattle
health and training needs. A grant towards the cost of
producing this will also be available.
Deputy Minister for Rural Development Rhona Brankin
said
"We have now completed consultation on a draft of the
proposed Crofters Cattle Quality Improvement Scheme and are
considering the responses to the consultation. We may wish
to make changes to these proposals in the light of these
responses and thereafter we will need to obtain state aid
clearance for the new scheme before bringing it into
operation.
"Crofters need to start planning their cattle breeding
arrangements for 2006 very soon and I cannot envisage the
new scheme being ready in time to fit in with their
planning needs. Consequently I am extending the interim
arrangements so that bulls will be available to crofters
for the 2006 breeding season.
"The interim arrangements will therefore continue to be
available in 2005/06 to those whose hire contract ended
last year or ends this year.
"Extending these interim arrangements will help crofting
groups to plan for the forthcoming breeding season and
remove any uncertainty over the future of support. It is
important that crofters continue to have access to high
quality bulls for breeding and this extension will ensure
this happens."
Crofting groups will be informed in due course of the
full details of the interim arrangements for the continued
hire of bulls from the Crofters Commission stud farm. It
is intended that the interim arrangements will ensure that
crofting groups taking advantage of these arrangements will
have been offered a bull, or two bulls in the case of
larger groups, before the end of January 2006.
The bulls will be hired by the Commission at a fee
calculated to represent full recovery of the cost of
purchase and care of the bull. This will probably be in
the region of £1,000 per annum but will be offset by a
grant offered to eligible groups to cover 50 per cent of
the hire fee. In addition, eligible groups will be
required to prepare a Livestock Improvement Plan and there
will be a flat rate grant to cover plan preparation.