Leadsom’s ‘radio silence’ condemned by Ewing
Scotland’s farmers and crofters would appear to be not one step further forward in gaining any clarity on post-brexit farm strategy and policies, despite “full and frank” discussions between top politicians representing the UK and devolved governments in Edinburgh yesterday.
Scottish Government ministers reacted angrily to what they viewed as an unwillingness of their UK counterparts to urgently address key issues which includedconfirmationthat powers and finances covering farm policy would remain with the devolved administrations, claiming this was where they could be best used to target local conditions.
Speaking after the event, Scotland’s rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing said that the meeting with the UK’S Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsom, had provided “no factual information” on what he termed the serious matters raised by farmers across Scotland.
Stating that he had had none of the key question answered, he said that the continued uncertainty over future farm strategy risked shrinking Scotland’s entire rural economy.
Ewing said he still needed answers on issues which were of “fundamental concern” to every farmer in the country – which 0 Fergus Ewing attacked UL government’s response The UK Defra secretary, Andrea Leadsom took a slightly different line.
After the meeting she said: “We are working with all the devolved administrations as we make preparations to leave the EU. Today’s meeting was part of this. Discussions were constructive and work goes on to secure the very best deal that delivers for all parts of the UK”. l A series of monthly meetings on agricultural issues will follow, prompting Fergus Ewing to say that while he was frustrated at the lack of progress he would “make like Robert the Bruce and the spider” and continue to push for clarity. included tariff-free access to the single market, guarantees on the rights of EU nationals to remain and future access to the European workforce, along with guarantees that fishing and environmental issues would not be negotiated away.
He added that he had met the same ”radio silence” from the minister over the long-standing convergence issue which had seen EU monies received because of Scotland’s low levels of farm support payments shared out across all regions of the UK.
This prompted the Scottish Government’s minister for Europe, Mike Russell, to state that if such well-worn issues couldn’t be addressed, the time for “warm words” was past and action was required from the UK government.
He said that he had used the meeting to make it “crystal clear” that any dilution of agriculture’s devolved powers would not be acceptable. Pointing out that the Scottish Government had offered a number of solutions to the underlying issues in its paper on Scotland’s futureineurope,produced before Christmas, he said that there had been no similarly detailed proposals from Westminster.
Roseanna Cunningham, Scotland’s environment secretary, said that Leadsom had deflected questions on key environmental points and had been evasive in any attempt to answer issues on future policy after the UK left the EU: “In fact I was left feeling that my portfolio had not been addressed at all.”