Slow farm support proposals highlight a big disconnect
If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it – or so the proverb runs.
I’m not sure if making someone busier makes it more likely that they’ll meet your targets but last week gave the impression that the technique is one that has been used to push the Scottish Government’s green agenda.
With a climate emergency declared, there was no surprise that ambitious targets were confirmed as stage three of Scotland’s Climate Change Bill saw the year 2045 confirmed as the point at which the country should reach net zero in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
Such a target is likely to be challenging for the farming industry but it was maybe a bit overlooked in the sector that a new interim target was also set of cutting these emissions by 75 per cent by 2030.
There’s no doubt the message on climate change is sinking into the farming world which, as has often been said, is at the sharp end of this phenomenon – and considerable steps have been taken in recent years as we’ve recognised that we have to do our bit.
But with this new interim target only a decade away, the huge paradigm shift that is going to be needed in the industry will have to take place in a short time – especially when measured in terms of farming production cycles.
When I asked the Scottish Government if it thought farming could achieve such an outcome in the proposed timescale, I was told that in the face of the global climate emergency all sectors of life would need to transform and adjust to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
It said: “Farming will form part of the solution of how weuseourland assetsinthe future and, our long-term agricultural transformation programme, set out in the recent Programme for Government, will bring forward a coordinated series of projects and actions.”
“Er, about this long-term agricultural transformation programme?” I asked.
“This includes the development of a statutory modernisation fund that will support sustainability, simplicity, profitability, innovation, inclusion and productivity in farming and food production in Scotland,” was the reply.
While this might sound straightforward, I can’t help but doubt it appreciates the enormity of the task involved in achieving such an outcome over such a short timescale.
For although the Programme for Government acknowledges the steps taken by the industry, it concedes that the pace of change must be picked up and indicates this will be delivered, in part at least, through future rural support.
It goes on to state that work will begin this year on measures designed to: develop pilot schemes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture; encourage more tree planting across Scotland including woodland integration and agro-forestry on farms; promote the multiple benefits of good grassland management to more livestock farmers; encourage farmers to invest in renewable energy, including bio-energy; support an evidence-based approach to crop production and selection and strategic development of organic farming ; explore the development of models to demonstrate and promote carbon-neutral farms.
One bright note in the Bill was a hint that a method of calculating farming’s total net emissions which take account of the industry’s ability to sequester carbon will be developed – which is good news as agriculture’s full contribution to mitigating climate change has been undervalued.
But there’s a big disconnect in Government thinking: under the proposals for reforming farm support, things will remain basically as they are until 2024 – and while no one wants to jump head-first into a policy of untested transformational change, to have any chance of meeting the climate change targets this needs to be drastically speeded up.
And no matter the timescale, the powers-that-be have to be recognise you can’t fast-track environmental goals with a slow farm reform policy.
Whatever happens, though, over the next few years I suspect farmers are going to be busy people.