The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Blow to beef sector bailout hopes
Any optimism that Westminster would press the EU to provide a bailout for the UK beef industry along the lines of the package agreed for Ireland was dashed at the show by a visiting Defra minister.
Last week NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick said beef farmers were “screaming blue murder” as prices fell to their lowest level in three years, and Scotland’s Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing revealed he had written to Defra Secretary Michael Gove, calling on him to make the case in Europe for an estimated £17 million to help the industry cope with Brexit uncertainty and falling beef prices.
However, on a whistle-stop visit to Ingliston, Defra minister David Rutley said there was no problem to address.
“The Irish can put forward a case they’ve been impacted by the UK’s exit and by currency matters,” he said.
“We’ve looked at what’s going on with prices in the UK and haven’t seen these trends, so at this stage that’s not something we need to put in place.”
NFU Scotland’s two vicepresidents, Martin Kennedy and Charlie Adam, were stunned by Mr Rutley’s assessment.
“Which planet is he living on?” said Mr Adam.
Mr Kennedy said: “I’m shocked Mr Rutley has been in the job since last September and the beef crisis has made no impact on his radar.”
Meanwhile, Mr Ewing has also written to Mr Gove, complaining that the current review by Lord Bew into the distribution of disputed convergence funds is not being given access to all the relevant information.
In his letter, Mr Ewing suggests the decision to set the review up as a panel, rather than an inquiry, ensures it will not have a legal framework or powers to request information from government, so the UK Government would not be legally bound to share any previous advice to ministers.
Mr Ewing states: “It is important that the panel has access to all available information.
“It is also important that it is free from government to make recommendations about what action could be considered in order to address concerns about the past issues of funding allocations.”