The future for farming is green says Fergus Ewing

Scottish farmers can look forward to a future policy which recognises the importance of food production – but with green strings attached.

Few hard and fast details to satisfy the industry’s hunger for information on how post 2024 policy was likely to develop were revealed by rural economy cabinet secretary, Fergus Ewing when he addressed NFU Scotland’s annual general meeting yesterday.

But he gave a strong hint that a blueprint for the suckler beef pilot scheme which aims to address climate change issues while maintaining production was likely to be revealed before the introduction of purdah for the Scottish elections at the end of March.

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Ewing revealed that, in order to monitor progress on the future green schemes, a nationwide project to gather information on carbon audits, soil quality and nutrient plans would be undertaken in order to draw up a baseline which would help assess progress as the range of pilots and schemes were developed.

Confirming that the current support system would continue in a similar form until 2024, Ewing also said that while major changes in the delivery mechanisms would begin to be transitioned in by that point, in his view an element of income support was likely to continue beyond that date:

“With approximately 2/3rds of farm businesses making a loss without access to support payments to precipitously withdraw that element as is being done elsewhere could risk obliterating farming, especially in our hills and islands.”

Following calls made the previous day by retiring president Andrew McCornick for the Scottish Government not to forget the important role played by the country’s limited areas of better land, when asked if such measures would extend to producers in Region One, Ewing replied:

“All farmers deserve financial support – but some are in more need than others.”

He said that while some were financially more successful these could benefit through capital grants designed to enhance and encourage productivity:

“But plainly those who farm in our most challenging lands have a greater justification for access to such support.”

Ewing also rounded on McCornick’s suggestions that a “robbing Peter to pay Paul” decision had seen arable and dairy farmers short-changed in the allocation of the £180 million convergence compensation cash, stating that it was manifestly true that ‘both Peter and Paul’ had been paid.

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Turning to more immediate measures, he announced that a loan scheme would once again see producers receive the majority of their 2021 dues in September.

He also revealed that amendments were to be put forward to the current bill on livestock worrying which would see a steep rise in the penalties for those who allowed their dogs to attack farm animals – with a maximum fine of £40,000 and/or 12 months imprisonment being proposed.

There was also good news for those in the soft fruit and veg sectors with the revelation that although the necessary foreign labour coming into the country would have to undergo a period of isolation, this could be done in groups on the farms on which they worked rather than in quarantine hotels.