Post-brexit deal at the heart of NFUS conference
Recent negative portrayals of the farming industry in the media stand in stark contrast to the key environmental, welfare and social roles played by the sector, it was claimed yesterday.
Speaking at NFU Scotland’s annual conference, union president Andrew Mccornick said that farmersacross scotland worked to the highest standards in the world – and that his organisation had spent far too much time recently “firefighting” the images portrayed by vocal minority groups which gained media attention.
He said: “Far from being the eco-vandals often portrayed, the industry shoulders the burden not only of providing safe, healthy food but also maintaining the beauty of the countryside and the wildlife which lives there–we’ re the environmentalists, the job providers and the landscape preservers.”
Meanwhile, on Brexit Mccornick said that there were real signs that the UK was inching its way towards a deal – but he spoke out against plans to prolong the discussions.
He said: “There would be very little point in going for an extension to the negotiations – history has shown these things always go down to the wire … so a hard deadline is necessary .”
However, while he stressed that anything other than achieving a deal would be “catastrophic” for all sectors of Scottish farming, achieving the right deal was just as important.
“While a no-deal Brexit or the wrong deal might hit hill and upland sheep producers first, this would have knock-on consequences for other sectors of the meat industry and this would then result in a substantial drop in the demand for Scottish feed grain – so no-one would be spared.”
But Mccornick also stressed that while getting the right trade deal was paramount, targeted support would also be crucial.
He said: “We really need to get hard information on post-transition farm policy from the Scottish Government as soon as possible to allow the industry to prepare for the future.
“To date we have plenty of reports into policy direction – the farming champions, the rural advisers and the Griggs report – but I would challenge anyone to tell me what the official line is on post-transition policy.”
He also urged the Scottish Government to urgently seek a European derogation from implementing changes to the less favoured area scheme which would see the finances which could be channelled through this mechanism slashed.
He said: “The Scottish Government really needs to get its finger out – and if it doesn’t get a derogation it must implement some other mechanism to get money into the hill areas.”