Call to end slipper farming loopholes

Slipper farming and with it the payment of millions of pounds of agricultural support to a group of farmers for doing virtually nothing must be stopped, the chairman of the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association has said.

Christopher Nicolson said 2014 had to be used to close loopholes in Cap legislation andmake sure support in future goes only to genuinely active farmers.

Slipper farmers have since 2005 been able to take advantage of rules which allow them to qualify for aid annually through renting in at peppercorn rates thousands of acres of barren, unproductive moors and hillsides to secure aid.

In many instances it has been done as a conscious business decision and as a result scores of individuals and businesses have made profits on public support for agriculture.

There is the potential for the new Cap to perpetuate the situation through the switch to area-based payments which could pave the way for many more individuals to get aid on land that produces nothing agriculturally, unless some type of activity demand is introduced.

Mr Nicolson said: “Slip- per farming must be consigned to the history books and it is essential that support payments are targeted towards genuinely active farmers. Much needed lessfavoured area payments must continue and smaller farming units should have greater access to Scottish rural development programme schemes.

“New entrants must have a fair deal from day one and the national reserve must be ongoing to ensure support payments for future generations of new farmers.”

Mr Nicolson said 2014 must herald a new dawn for tenant farming. The association welcomed the Scottish Government’s review of agricultural holdings legislation. He added: “The last decade has seen the tenanted sector shrink. Rental pressure has been increased on existing tenants and opportunities for newentrants have declined even further.

“There are high hopes that government reviews on land and tenancy reform will stimulate a more positive vision for a more inclusive land tenure system. Greater diversity of land ownership must be part of the mix alongside a tenanted sector where security of tenure and fair rents encourage investment and planning. Above all, more opportunities must be created for the next generation whether they are new entrants or tenant farmers progressing up the farming ladder.

“STFA welcomes the current debate over extending right to buy provisions and its impact on Scotland’s land tenure structure. Many tenants feel frustrated and restricted by the terms of their tenancy. Recent STFA meetings have highlighted the urgent need for tenancy reform and there have been increased calls for the introduction of the absolute right to buy as a way of encouraging tenant farmers to realise their potential.”