Has government delivered vehicle farmers need?

In order to avoid jeopardising the continued flow of food during harvest, I would point out that it’s not a situation I’ve experienced myself – but the growing frustration in the: “come on, we’ll be late, what’s keeping you now...” often expressed in couples of whatever gender identity is, I believe a widely accepted fact of life.

And I couldn’t help but notice a hint of this same frustration at the tail end of last week following the Scottish Government’s announcement of the acquisition of the new Volkswagen ARIOB, the latest mild-hybrid (is there such a thing as a full-strength hybrid?) which is being set up to drive the agricultural industry into its new clean, green, lower emissions future.

For, even as Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands Mairi Gougeon was extolling the virtues of the shiny new vehicle – otherwise known by the somewhat more clumsy name of the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board – there were clear signs that her partner in the driving seat, NFU Scotland’s Martin Kennedy, was beginning to twitch about getting the engine running and getting the thing on the road.

Like all good running late tales, the vehicle was only delivered at the last minute – only just managing to appear on the forecourt in time to fulfil the administration’s promised delivery within the first 100 days of government.

But amidst the welcomes which the union gave to the announcement that the pioneering work undertaken by Scotland’s Farmer-led Climate Change groups would drive the nation’s future agricultural policy, there was a clear undercurrent of impatience – as if Ms Gougeon had spent too long deciding just how dark a shade of green the ARIOB should finally be.

“We have been clear and consistent in our message to Government that the time for talking is over and the time for delivery on a new agricultural policy for Scotland is now. The reason I have agreed to co-chair this group is to ensure that delivery happens,” said Kennedy amidst all the politically correct noises in the press release put out after the official announcement had been made.

And he hinted that, working with leading academics, the union had tinkered with the recommendations of all five farmer-led groups and had produced a perfectly good prototype, capable of delivering a cohesive vision for future agricultural policy in Scotland, earlier in the year.

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But, as a hill farmer, Kennedy was clearly keen to take the newly launched vehicle out and into the fields to do some off-roading, getting some mud in the wheel arches in the process: “I am on record as stating that the time for talk is over and now is the time to deliver. That is why I have agreed to co-chair the implementation group.

"I share the same vision as the Cabinet Secretary for a prosperous farming sector where an agricultural policy will meet the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss,” said Kennedy. And in a classic “will you just hurry up?” line he added: “I am committed to making this process work, but I won’t hesitate to walk if I believe our ambitions are being stifled or if the drive to put in place what our fantastic farming industry needs starts to fail.”

And, as the pair prepared to get the kids in the back – a family made up of a range of agricultural figures with just the right mix of committee experience and practical knowledge to maintain grass-root respect, along with a sprinkling of academics – the revelation that having an agreement on a national test programme in time for the COP26 climate change event being hosted in Glasgow in November, with the scheme actually in place by spring 2022, made it plain that the new car needs to have a pretty good 0-60mph performance.

At the same time there is also genuine expectation that the shiny new car will show a serious reduction in emission levels.

With the huge changes and major restructuring it will bring to the farming industry at a time when it’s already facing unprecedented challenges, let’s just hope that this new supercar can deliver for the industry without breaking down…

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Has government delivered vehicle farmers need? - Brian Henderson