Ex-Aussie mining engineer and Elphin Tearooms operator is named as Young Crofter of the Year By Caroline McMorran
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Updated: 11:54, 27 January 2021
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An Australian former mining engineer now living in Elphin has been named as the Scottish Crofting Federation s Young Crofter of the Year.
Helen O Keefe emigrated in 2015 after falling in love with the north west Highlands while on holiday in Scotland in 2012 and 2014.
Award winner Helen O Keefe has established a flock of nearly 100 Shetland sheep. A portion of the flock are crossed with a Beltex ram.
Scottish farmer farmers are getting their second and final instalment of convergence funding by the end of January.
Around 18,000 farmers will benefit from the support worth £71.8m.
This comes from the £160m package which the UK government awarded Scotland due to its low average payment per hectare.
The convergence fund will focus payments on hill and upland farmers, who have had their less favoured support payments slashed to 40% of the historic rate.
Rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing has committed to channel the convergence money to bring these payments back up to a 100% rate.
Positive response
NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick said: “The Scottish government has responded positively to NFU Scotland’s calls to fully make up the shortfall in LFASS payments for all those hit by the EU requirements that LFASS 2020 had to be paid out at 40% of the LFASS 2018 values.