News / In brief for 23 December 2010
Farm payments
THE SCOTTISH government said it was processing farming and crofting subsidy payments as fast as possible to get them into bank accounts by Christmas.
Rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said that 92 per cent of producers should have received their single farm payments by the end of this week, a total of £436 million.
He said that all payments should be made by the end of January, well ahead of the EU deadline of mid 2011.
Efforts are also being made to process Less Favoured Area Support Scheme payments on time to help farmers and crofters with buying feed during the cold weather.
Urafirth school
A NORTHMAVINE primary school has been praised by education inspectors after they carried out a follow up inspection last month.
As a result of improvements made since their visit in December last year, inspectors have judged the 23 pupil nursery and primary is “well placed to continue to improve” and will not make further follow up visits.
The inspectors said children were making more progress and their pace of learning had improved. They said staff, children and parents were more involved and head teacher Wilma Missendon encouraged “an ethos of achievement”.
Wood stolen
SHETLAND police have warned people to be on the lookout for cheap firewood for sale after several bags of wood intended for heating were stolen from a driveway in Lerwick’s Clairmont Place overnight on Monday.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Lerwick police station, where officers are advising people to keep an eye on their heating fuel during the cold weather after a series of thefts last year.
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