Support could be better than in EU says Duncan

Scottish sheep producers have been told that their support payments are likely to be more secure than those of their counterparts in the EU in the years immediately following Brexit.

For while there was no repeat of Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary of State Michael Gove’s apparent Oxford farming conference promise to maintain support at current levels until 2024, Lord Ian Duncan, parliamentary under secretary of state for the Scottish office, reminded the National Sheep Association agm dinner that their payments would continue two years beyond the end of the current common agricultural policy (CAP) regime.

“The UK government has given a clear commitment to producers that, following Brexit, they will receive close to the same amount of cash at least until the end of the current parliament, which is likely to be in 2022,” said the minister. 0 Welcome news for sheep farmers on support cash

“And that’s two years beyond the current CAP reform date at which point sheep producers and farmers in the rest of the EU are likely to face a different support regime – and the underlying trend has certainly been for support levels to drop with each round of CAP reform.”

However, he stressed that, looking to the longer term, it was up to those in the industry to impress upon politicians what measures would be required to ensure a vibrant sheepmeat sector.

“We have an opportunity to think afresh about where we want to go with the industry – and how we want to get there,” he said. “But it’s up to you to tell both the Scottish and UK governments what it is that you need to ensure that the sector moves towards a healthy and viable future.

“You need to engage with politicians and ensure your voices are heard – because we simply cannot afford to get this wrong.”

On trade agreements, Duncan said that there was no way lamb production would be sacrificed in the race for a trade deal which suited other sectors. “We don’t want to see a race to the bottom as far as quality and other standards are concerned – the higher the standards we can maintain with our blue ribbon products the better it will be for us in both the home and export markets.”

He also stated that the UK government had recognised the key importance of migrant labour to many sectors of the farming industry – and indicated that a seasonal workers scheme to maintain access to berry pickers, vegetable harvesters and abattoir workers was likely to be in place “very soon”.