Scotland’s Rural Affairs secretary Richard Lochhead has been accused of playing politics with Scotland’s farming community.
The accusation was made during a Scottish Government debate on Common Agricultural Policy after Lib Dem rural affairs spokesman Tavish Scott MSP felt an offer to work across the chamber to deliver the best deal had been rebuffed.
After the debate Mr Scott said: “Richard Lochhead showed his true nationalist colours during his debate on CAP. When offered a commitment to a cross-party approach on Scotland’s CAP implementation, he knocked it back so that he could play politics.
“Like most nationalist ministers Richard Lochhead has put his independence obsession before Scotland’s ambitions.
“The ball is now firmly in the SNP’s court when it comes to the CAP deal.
“Scottish Ministers have the flexibility to implement the new CAP in the way that works best for farmers here.
“These are powers that Scottish Liberal Democrats helped secure during negotiations in Brussels,” he said.
“They now need to tell the industry what level of support they can expect over the next few years.
“Attempting to score cheap political points will curry no favours with the industry. This is an important time for the Rural Affairs Secretary. He should have left his nationalist hat at home.”
Conservative rural affairs spokesman Alex Fergusson said the SNP had become increasingly “divisive” in its rhetoric on Common Agricultural Policy.
“In trying to achieve the best possible deal, there is undoubtedly a case to be made for some redistribution of CAP funding within the UK, and we will play our part in making that case to the UK Government,” he said.
“However, the rhetoric employed by Richard Lochhead is becoming increasingly divisive and vitriolic, which no doubt suits his agenda for next year’s referendum.
“But it is doing no good whatsoever for Scotland’s farmers, who just need the factual details of the changes they face.”
Despite the criticism Mr Lochhead apparently believed cross-party consensus had been reached, at least in terms of the UK’s extra European farming subsidy being allocated entirely to Scotland.
This so-called ‘convergence uplift’ could be worth tens of millions of euros a year, and during the debate MSPs backed the Scottish Government’s calls for the additional cash to come to Scotland.
Speaking later, Mr Lochhead said: “It is essential that Scotland receives the fairest possible deal from the UK’s CAP allocation.
“This extra subsidy will be worth more than 60 million euros a year by 2020, totalling around 230 million euros over the whole budget period.
“The only reason that the UK qualifies for the uplift is because of Scotland’s low payments under the current system.
“Therefore it is only fair that this additional cash is allocated to Scotland in its entirety.
“This is not a case of taking money away from farmers in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. This is money that belongs to Scottish farmers, and it is only right that it should come to Scottish farmers.
“In the new CAP, Scotland will likely have lower rates per hectare, in both pillars, than every member state in Europe. This modest uplift would be a small step in the right direction.
“I have already written to Owen Paterson seeking a fair deal for Scotland from the UK’s CAP allocation,” he said.
“I welcome today’s cross-party support for the UK’s full convergence uplift to come to Scotland, and Owen Paterson should now take heed of the Scottish Parliament’s wishes in this matter.”