Ewing unveils £40m climate change budget
Payments under the new round of the agri-environmental climate scheme, set to open early next year, will continue into the postbrexit period, it has been confirmed.
Announcing a £40 million budget for the scheme which supports capital and management expenditure on qualifying projects which tackle diffuse pollution, reduce flood risks and help mitigate climate change, rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing this week told the Scottish Parliament that awards would be supported for the full term of any agreements.
NFU Scotland’s environment and land use policy manager, Andrew Midgley, welcomed the news.
“The scheme is an important part of the financial support regime for farmers and there have been concerns that uncertainties relating to Brexit might lead to a lack of continuity in this funding, which could lead to a reduction in the good work being done for wildlife, water quality and the climate,” he said.
“The government has
clearly recognised this issue and listened.”
Midgley said that farmers and crofters had a vital role to play in delivering a wide range of environmental benefits - and the union envisaged that such measures would form an important strand in future support policy:
“So it is important that momentum in this area is maintained,” he added.
The union also welcomed the secretary’s announcement of the creation of new taskforce to help establish future agri-policy measures – but warned that a tight time-table needed to be set for their work.
Political affairs manager Clare Slipper said that there was a “pressing need” to give certainty and clarity to the sector over future policy. Together with the imminent publication of the report from the National Council of Rural Advisors and responses to the Scottish Government’s own stability and simplicity consultation, movement towards a policy should now be swift.
She said that the union had published its own views in March and these would be taken out for further discussion with members during the winter.
However political opponents were blunt in their condemnation of the rate of progress - with Conservative MSP Peter Chapman stating that the secretary had missed another opportunity to outline a plan for Scottish agriculture postbrexit.
“The UK government has laid out detailed proposals in its Agriculture Bill – but there is no equivalent legislation for Scotland,” he said. “Scottish farmers are being left totally in the dark – and time is running out.”
He said that Ewing was failing farmers and was keener to complain about Westminster than take any responsibility.