Minister urged not to relax eco rules for farmers despite fears of global crop shortages
SCOTLAND’S Rural Affairs Secretary is being urged not to relax rules which encourage farmers to grow verges and let wildlife flourish in their fields in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
The call to Mairi Gougeon comes after farmers’ organisation NFU Scotland said more land should be made available for cereal production in light of concerns about food supply in the wake of the conflict. Ukraine is a massive producer of wheat and there are fears that a protracted war could lead to a shortage of the crop used to make bread.
The NFU wrote to the Scottish Government calling for a moratorium on support scheme rules that take land out of food production. It warned that the aftershocks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would be felt “well beyond the conflict”.
Concerns over future supplies have seen wheat prices rise significantly in the past week.
To help improve the resilience of food supplies, NFU Scotland said more land in Scotland should be made available for domestic food production.
It said a moratorium on current Scottish support scheme rules that take land out of production could temporarily release an area of land equivalent to 25,000 rugby pitches to grow cereals, crops such as peas and beans, or grass and forage for livestock.
But the intervention by NFUS has led to a counter call by the food policy and environment charity Nourish Scotland not to ease rules around “Ecological Focus Areas”. It insisted there was no shortage of wheat with much of the current supply used for alcohol production or animal feed.
“We are writing to you in the context of the shocking, ongoing acts of aggression against Ukraine and the resulting impact upon global food production,” said Pete Ritchie, director of Nourish Scotland, in a letter to the Rural Affairs Secretary.
“This is clearly a tragic situation and all of us stand in solidarity and support for the people of Ukraine. The NFUS is calling for the temporary suspension of greening rules, specifically around Ecological Focus Areas, so that more land can be made available for crop production.”
He added: “Their argument is flawed for several reasons. Firstly, there is no shortage of wheat, with stocks at 37 per cent of annual usage, despite poor harvests in North America last year. Secondly, we know that almost 80% of our cereal harvest in Scotland is used for alcohol production or animal feed. “Thirdly, we know that tackling the climate and nature emergency is the only way to ensure long-term food security. The poor harvest in North America last year was caused by drought, while this was counterbalanced by good harvests in India and Australia. As the climate becomes more chaotic, the risk of multiple harvest failures in different parts of the world increases.”
Mr Ritchie continued: “The real lesson of this crisis is that we must look at the resilience of our food and farming systems. More than ever, we must shift towards environmentally friendly farming practices.”
EFAs were introduced to create wildlife habitats by encouraging the establishment of food sources such as insects and mice for birds like barn owls and kestrels. Farmers receive Government subsidies for supporting EFAs.
Mr Ritchie said: “Lots of the EFA options like under-sowing and catch crops can actually increase food production in the long run as well as improving the soil. Field margins also provide a home for the bugs which eat the bugs which eat the crops, so also help with sustainable food production.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “This Government is clear in its commitment to supporting farmers and crofters to produce more of our food more sustainably, but we also acknowledge the need for change and to make sure that farming plays its part in cutting emissions, mitigating climate change, and restoring and enhancing nature and biodiversity. As the impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are being felt, we understand some are advocating a temporary shift away from environmental measures towards food production.
“We would welcome the opportunity to discuss with stakeholders about how we start to provide more food for people and livestock from our arable production, while also delivering more benefit for biodiversity and nature.”
The spokesman acknowledge any changes to greening this year affect farmers and crofters subsidy payments.
The real lesson of this crisis is that we must look at the resilience of our food and farming systems