Scottish farming: Warning on overhaul of Scottish agricultural subsidies as scrapping climate targets 'deeply concerning'

The Scottish Government is being urged to use new agricultural subsidies to help farmers and crofters go green.

Scotland’s new subsidy system for farmers and crofters should prioritise restoration of nature and eco-friendly agricultural practices, environmentalists have urged, as they described the scrapping of climate targets as “deeply concerning”.

In a letter to Scottish rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon, members of the umbrella group Scottish Environment Link (ScotLink) have called for the majority of public funding for agriculture to go towards measures such as planting native trees and hedges, restoring important natural habitats and developing low-emissions livestock.

The agricultural sector is responsible for a major share of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, contributing almost a fifth of the total – second only to transport. Dramatically cutting these emissions will be crucial if Scotland is to hit its landmark climate goal to reach net zero by 2045.

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The correspondence comes shortly after the Scottish Government announced it was dropping key climate targets for 2030 because they were “unachievable”.

Signatories to the letter – including Nourish Scotland, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, Nature Friendly Farming Network, Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland and Soil Association Scotland – say incentivising green initiatives will help tackle the twin crises of climate change and loss of biodiversity while simultaneously benefiting farmers and wider society.

The letter states: “The weakening of Scotland’s 2030 climate targets is deeply concerning. The impacts of the climate and nature crises are being felt worldwide, including by Scottish farmers and crofters, with many areas of the country having experienced their wettest April on record.

ScotLink members says breeding of low-emissions livestock - which expel lower levels of climate-warming methane when they burp - should be incentivised in Scotland's new agriculture bill

“We need to step up our efforts to tackle these deeply connected environmental challenges. With agriculture our second biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, it is clear that we cannot reach net zero without significant changes to the way we farm in Scotland.

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“The Scottish Government must establish, without delay, a support system that enables farmers and crofters to make the transition to sustainable farming.”

Mechanisms for supporting farming and rural communities are being reformed following Brexit, with a new agricultural Bill due out next month. Scottish ministers have proposed a new four-tier payment system to replace the EU’s common agriculture policy, announcing “at least half of all funding for farming and crofting will be targeted towards outcomes for biodiversity gain and climate mitigation and adaption”.

Scotland’s new subsidy system for farmers and crofters should prioritise restoration of nature and eco-friendly agricultural practices, according to environmentalists

However, ScotLink members claim the policies announced to date are “not enough to bring about the transformative change” needed and policies should be strengthened.

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The letter concludes: “The Agriculture and Rural Communities Bill presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make farming work for nature, climate and people. The Scottish Government must now demonstrate in detail how the changes proposed in this Bill will enable Scottish farming to meaningfully contribute to Scotland reaching net zero.

“A marked increase in the pace and scope of change is required. We urge you to ensure that the new farm support system established by the Bill enables all farmers and crofters to produce food in ways that reduce emissions, restore nature, promote the highest standards of animal welfare and revitalise our rural areas for the benefit of everyone.”

Rural affairs, land reform and islands secretary Mairi Gougeon said: “Our Agriculture and Rural Communities Bill aims to create a framework that will allow us to support farmers to farm in a sustainable and regenerative way.

“The Bill will help us to deliver on key outcomes such as high-quality food production, climate mitigation and adaptation, nature restoration, and wider rural development. This approach will ensure flexibility and adaptivity to mitigate against future challenges in an increasingly uncertain world. It will enable tailored provisions and support to be implemented through secondary legislation and further adapted on a regular basis as the sector requires.”