Tory claims of ‘dithering’ spark sharp SNP response
The ongoing row over post-brexit farm policy continued to escalate yesterday with Scottish Conservatives accusing rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing of “dithering” at the expense of the country’s farmers.
Urging the Scottish Government to come up with a post-brexit plan for farmers, Tory rural MPS have written to Ewing stating that, while the SNP had dismissed the UK Agriculture Bill which was launched last week, the administration had failed to come up with a plan of its own. “Farmers are completely in the dark about the future of agricultural policy in Scotland. That is totally unacceptable and we are urging Fergus Ewing to stop dithering and provide some answers for our rural communities,” the said.
However this elicited a fiery response from a spokesperson for Ewing: “We will take no lectures from the Tories – they are the ones proposing to remove direct payments from Scotland’s farm and croft businesses. And while the UK government may be happy to leave farmers in England high and dry without the support they need to provide quality food, we are not.”
She said that the Scottish Government’s “Stability and simplicity” consultation aimed to minimise
the potential disruption of Brexit while continuing to support food production and environmental benefit.
“We are currently considering the views and responses received and will set out our final plans in due course,” she added.
But the spat marked another rise in temperature in the cold war between the Scottish and UK governments over the post-brexit allocation of powers over agricultural policy and funding currently held by Brussels – which has been showing increasing signs of heating up since Secretary of state for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Michael Gove launched the UK Agriculture Bill in Westminster last week.
The scottish government acrimoniously dismissed the bill as a “missed opportunity” which rode roughshod over the devolved settlement. And Ewing said that his government “could not and would not” bring forward legislative consent motions for primary Brexit legislation unless what he described as “attempts to grab key powers over farming” were addressed.
He also claimed that the UK bill could threaten the Scottish Parliament’s ability to continue key schemes such as coupled support for sheep and calves and support for less favoured areas.
But in a sharp rebuttal Scottish Secretary of State David Mundell fired back, stating that there were no fears of devolved policy choices being constrained by the bill, adding that there was nothing in it which would stop existing Scottish Government policies such as coupled support and LFASS.
“Contrary to claims, Scottish farmers will continue to receive the same level of funding as they currently do until the end of this Parliament in 2022,” he said, adding that the bill had ensured that new systems of farming support could be put in place after 2020 in England and Wales.
“Farmers in Scotland need the same reassurance – and time is running out for the Scottish Government to act,” he said.
“It is simply not acceptable for Scottish farmers to be kept in the dark about the future of agricultural policy in Scotland.”