Gove speech on support ‘chimes with NFUS aims’
While much of the national media seemed to be surprised by the announcement made by the UK environment secretary Michael Gove that farm support measures were likely to change significantly after Brexit, NFU Scotland was claiming to be a step ahead of the game.
The union’s policy director, Jonnie Hall, said: “The Secretary of State’s statement that support ‘must be earned’ chimes with our thoughts. We would want to see a properly funded policy, supported by science-led decisionmaking, that builds on our animal health and welfare record and is focused on productivity and profitability gains.”
Hall said that the union’s vision for the next decade, outlined in its recent document, entitled Change, was for a managed transition from 2017 to 2027 through an action-based support system.
He said the approach proposed in Gove’s speech meant there was a justifiable case for funding for Scottish agriculture to continue at its current levels.
“While accepting of change, we will also be considering the case for a transitional shift from land- to activity-based incentives. We would want to reward risk and recognise good stewardship, not inertia,” said Hall. “It is in Scotland’s interests that a managed move to smarter agricultural support delivers profitable farming and crofting and a rich seam of public benefits, not least of which is the continued production of Scottish food and drink in the future.”
Hall said Gove had also recognised the importance of support to those living and working in hill and upland areas, and this issue would be further discussed.
Meanwhile, business group Scottish Land and Estates said that intentions to focus payments on “public goods” such as measures to mitigate flooding, enhancing biodiversity or reducing carbon emissions were in line with its own policy paper on future support, released in March.
Its chairman, David Johnstone, stressed the effectiveness of future support arrangements would hinge on the trade deals secured – and the two could not be separated.
He said: “This will be significant in terms of our domestic food security and we expect the devolved regions to contribute towards achieving a system which works domestically and internationally.
However, Gove’s pronouncements met with a chillier response from Scotland’s rural economy secretary, Fergus Ewing, who said it was “becoming clearer by the day” that Brexit was the biggest threat to rural Scotland and that remaining within the European Union – the world’s largest single market – was the best option for the country’s future.
Reiterating that “Brexit should not be used as cover for a “power grab” and that a collaborative approach should be adopted, he said: “It is very concerning that the UK government is threatening future agricultural support post-2022, without any consultation with the devolved administrations.
“Scottish farming is more reliant on CAP funds than the rest of the UK due to issues of remoteness and land abandonment, and any attempt to cut support will be strongly opposed by the Scottish Government.”