There was a lot of head-scratching among the Scottish farmers who left their annual conference in Glasgow, after listening to a speech by Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon which was long in duration but short in detail.
While Ms Gougeon confidently assured her audience that she was finally providing the long-promised route map for agricultural reform, which contained “greater clarity and confidence on key dates for guidance, support and how and when current schemes will change”, several delegates questioned if they had been “hoodwinked”.
The new information included, she said, details on the measures being considered by government, and the support that will be available for the industry to prepare for change.
However, while many pages of documents were indeed uploaded to the government’s Rural Payments and Services website shortly after her speech, they appeared to offer little more than the recommendations of various committees and farmer-led working groups, and fell far short of the precise measures that will receive support in a new policy.
The information shows the phased implementation of the new policy framework from 2025 and the transition from current to future schemes, the measures currently being considered for future support and the support available to help businesses prepare.
A document, called ‘Guidance on the List of Measures’, contains information on the broad types of actions that the government will likely expect from farmers and crofters who wish to receive enhanced tier agricultural support payments in future.
Testing
Ms Gougeon said: “We will begin testing these measures with a group of farmers and crofters this month to understand how they might work in practice from the people who will be asked to implement them.
“This approach of getting feedback from those on the ground will continue as
the support package is developed, and I would encourage you to discuss with your representative bodies as well as letting us know your views directly. In the publication there’s an email address where you can send us your comments.”
Delegates who had hoped for a clear breakdown of measures and funding that would help them make business decisions described what they had heard as “smoke and mirrors” and “nothing we didn’t know before”, and left feeling disillusioned.
Nevertheless, newly re-elected NFU Scotland president, Martin Kennedy – who had threatened to withdraw the union’s co-operation if Ms Gougeon didn’t deliver a full breakdown of funding and policy – appeared to be satisfied that at least some progress had been made, although the union is yet to issue an official response.
He said the speech was “a step in the right direction”.
He added: “We now need to keep progress going and scrutinise what these measures are going to be like, then go back to the Cabinet Secretary and tell her what will and won’t work.
“There will be things in there that the industry will buy into.”
However, he admitted the industry had been given no clarity on the levels of funding for new policy.
Avian influenza
Meanwhile, poultry producers in the audience welcomed an announcement by Ms Gougeon that the government is investigating how the sector can obtain insurance for flocks as outbreaks of avian influenza continue to cause widespread losses.
In Scotland there have been 20 cases since October and 144 in England.
Ms Gougeon also outlined a new two-year programme of funding for disease-prevention measures in sheep and cattle to benefit health, welfare and efficiency.
Seven “interventions” have been identified and each intervention – up to two per year – will earn support of £250.
