Sheep sector ‘could face a bleak post-brexit future’

While rumours floating around Westminster to the effect that Scotland was “prepared to go to war” over support for the sheep sector were dismissed as a bit of an exaggeration, the threats to the sector postbrexit were centre stage at Agriscot yesterday.

Denying that a task force was about to be launched, Scotland’s rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing said that as far as Brexit was concerned, the agricultural industry was “closest to the fire” – and the sheep industry closest of all – and he stressed the need to keep the plight of farmers to the front of the debate.

“I have made it plain in my discussions with the UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove that if policy makers don’t get this issue right then we will see thousands of sheep farmers leaving the industry in some of Scotland’s most fragile and remote areas.

“And if people stop farming in these parts we will see widespread land abandonment which will lead to the collapse of the countryside we all hold so dear – and of the very industry which keeps rural communities alive.”

The backing for the sector came amidst the revelation of some of the threats faced by the various sectors painted in the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board’s(ahdb) Scottish Brexit document, launched at Agriscot yesterday.

Under the “fortress UK” scenario – which would see an end of frictionless trade with the EU and the imposition of weighty tariffs – the baseline average income in the hill sheep sector fell from the current figure of around £12,000 per year to a loss of £12,000 – a situation which left all but the very best producers facing negative incomes.

Welcoming the political support voiced for the industry during the NFUS’S seminar, union president Andrew Mccornick called on politicians in all parliaments to put aside shortterm fixes and focus on a long-term view of policy and support to allow farmers and crofters to plan ahead.

“Scotland’s farmers and crofters work in scales of production that are measured in years, so we need to move away from shortterm fixes,” said Mccornick.

He said a long-term view was essential to allow the industry to make decisions, adding that to deliver the right policies for Scotland, politicians in all parliaments needed to show a genuine commitment to work together to secure the future for the industry.

“The measure of success will be judged in farmers’ and crofters’ incomes. These need to be improved now and beyond the Brexit process to allow us to invest in our businesses and deliver food, landscapes, jobs, environmental benefits and a thriving rural economy,” said Mccornick.