Press Release: European farming funding withheld

The level of disallowance to be imposed on the Scottish Government by the European Commission was confirmed, in February 2012, as £35 million. The withheld funding – or disallowance - dates back to a 2009 audit and relates primarily to systems that were put in place between 2003 and 2007.

It should be noted that the EU practice of applying disallowance of expenditure for poor financial controls that led or could have led to incorrect or ineligible farm payments having been made is widespread across Europe.