Exclusive:Scottish Government accused of 'stagnation' as farmers left in 'infuriating' state over future

Royal Highland Show opens with damning ‘Agriculture Report Card’ highlighting broken promises and missed opportunities.

Two of Scotland’s leading conservation charities have accused Scottish ministers of falling far short of their own promises on sustainable agriculture, publishing a scathing report card ahead of the Royal Highland Show.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust and WWF Scotland unveiled their joint Agriculture Report Card, which delivers a failing grade to the Scottish Government’s efforts to support nature and climate-friendly farming.

The charities claimed ministers have shown a “pattern of unfulfilled commitments” in their target announcements to do with farming and the environment.

Join Katharine Hay on her walk around Scotland, with the Hay’s Way newsletter

Campaigners are saying more needs to be done to support nature-friendly farming | Katharine Hay

The report is particularly critical of the direct payments scheme, which was a significant component of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding for British farmers before Brexit, and which are still used in Scotland.

While the UK government is phasing out the use of these direct payments, the Scottish Government continues to use them as “a safety net for farmers and crofters by supplementing their main business income”, making up 70 per cent of the budget for agriculture, which is devolved.

Royal Highland Show 2025: What time does the show open, how can I get there, prices, best things to do

The National Farmers Union Scotland (NFU Scotland) lobbied hard for this outcome, with the union’s director of policy Jonnie Hall saying it helps “underpin and incentivise agricultural activity and management changes to drive efficiency and productivity, while building resilience and enhancing our environment”.

The scheme includes “enhanced greening” measures, which means more farm businesses will have to actively manage “ecological focus areas” in return for 30 per cent of their basic payment. Environmental campaigners, however, don’t think this goes far enough.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Government has previously admitted these payments provide little to no environmental benefit.

How some of Scotland's farmers are showing the country needs a radical rethink in farming policy

The Scottish Wildlife Trust and WWF also pointed out that just 5 per cent of Scotland’s agriculture budget is allocated to the Agri-Environment and Climate Scheme (AECS), which supports nature-positive farming practices.

Bruce Wilson, head of policy and advocacy at the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said: “We need accelerated action for nature-friendly farming, but most of what we’re seeing is either glacial progress, stagnation or even backwards steps.

“We’ve just got the status quo. The 5 per cent for the AECS is touted as being ‘transformational change’. This is definitely not transformational change and will not provide a farming sector for the future that is resilient and can deal with the pressures of climate and nature loss and provide some of the solutions.”

The Scottish Government is yet to confirm full details for the four-tiered subsidy payment system replacing the CAP benefits paid pre-Brexit. It is understood to be the last country in the UK without a confirmed post-Brexit plan for farmers.

Tier three, which is said to provide the environment benefit money, is expected to be finalised in mid-2028. Meanwhile, the Scottish Government’s own targets for reversing declines in nature are for 2030.

Mr Wilson said: “There is no way that in 18 months you’ll have farmers up and running doing what they need to do to meet the Government’s own biodiversity strategy and delivery plans.

“These aren’t aspirations, these are laid out-targets. It must be infuriating for conservationists and farmers.”

While the Scottish Government has repeatedly pledged to make Scotland a global leader in sustainable, regenerative farming, a message echoed in its Vision for Agriculture and Biodiversity Strategy, Ruth Taylor, at WWF Scotland, said the actions so far fall short.

“Over the course of this Parliament, the Scottish Government has repeatedly set out its ambition to make our farming sector a world-leader on climate and nature-friendly farming,” Ms Taylor said.

“Unfortunately, the actions they’ve taken to date fall far short of being worthy of this title, and we’ve seen few proposals to deliver the scale of transformation needed for that.”

The charities’ paper warned failures in agricultural reform will have ripple effects beyond the farm gate.

Mr Wilson said the way the country uses 70 per cent of its land also impacts upon future outcomes of other key areas, including the economy, public services and child poverty.

Bruce Wilson of the Scottish Wildlife Trust | Supplied

He said this includes the increased risk of flooding and wildfires putting a strain public finances, with the cost falling hardest on the most vulnerable. The loss of biodiversity, including species like Atlantic salmon, also erodes Scotland’s natural heritage and long-term resilience.

The timing of the report is deliberate, landing at the start of the Royal Highland Show, one of the most high-profile moments in Scotland’s rural calendar, which takes place this weekend.

Scottish minister for agriculture Jim Fairlie said: “We are committed to supporting our farmers and crofters to make Scotland a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture as set out in our vision for agriculture.

“We are making tangible progress on delivering for nature and climate through the introduction of the Whole Farm Plan, a new calving interval condition for the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme and we are launching the Future Farming Investment Scheme.

“In addition, unlike the UK government, we are maintaining reformed direct payments, which support sustainable food production and provide vital stability to the sector and wider rural community. We are also working with crofters and farmers to help them drive down emissions through increasing productivity.

“Additional sector specific actions and proposals, which will support Scotland’s path to net zero by 2045, will be published in the new draft Climate Change Plan later this year.”

According to the latest Scottish Government data available, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Scottish agriculture were at their lowest levels since the baseline period in 1990.

Total emissions from agriculture in 2022 were 7.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e). This is a fall of 3 per cent (0.3 MtCO2e) compared with 2021.