The UK should use Brexit as an opportunity to streamline regulation and ease curbs on issues such as pesticide use, a farming union has urged.
NFU Scotland has mapped out the priorities for legislative change that would "significantly ease" what some farmers call the "regulatory burden" on Scottish agricultural industry.
Launching its document ‘Post-Brexit Priorities for Legislative Change’, the union identified elements of legislation that could be removed or improved during the period between the UK exiting the EU, and before the implementation of any new UK and Scottish agricultural policies.
The union is calling for changes that would help protect supply chain integrity and agriculture’s profitability, introduce proportionality in penalties, mapping and record-keeping requirements and see decisions on legislation based on risk rather than perceived ‘hazard’.
It has also called for curbs on pesticides to be eased after Brexit.
On profitability, one example includes tackling ‘greening’ and removing Europe’s ‘three-crop rule’ which requires Scottish farmers to grow three different crops if they want to secure the greening element of support.
The union said in a statement: "That would end a blunt EU requirement that does little for the environment, impacts on farm businesses, restricts the ability to grow for real markets and can be replaced with smarter environmental alternatives."
'Yellow card'
NFU Scotland has also called some EU laws as "draconian and disproportionate" for its penalty systems.
It said these should be replaced with a ‘yellow card’ warning system for minor breaches allowing time for unintentional errors to be rectified.
Scottish farmers are eager to re-write the rulebook to introduce what they see as more common sense approaches in how farmers secure environmental and animal welfare standards and traceability.
NFU Scotland President Andrew McCornick said: “Brexit must allow us to replace elements of EU agricultural regulation that are bureaucratic, ineffective or ill-tailored to farming conditions in the UK and Scotland. I firmly believe that elements can be redesigned or implemented in a better way.
“Regulation should always be appropriate, proportionate, evidence-based and as light-touch as possible. A successful approach to delivering regulation would involve more carrot and less stick, a yellow card warning system for unintentional breaches and encouragement farmers to do what they do best – provide a safe and affordable supply of food.”
'Power grab'
The way in which powers repatriated from Brussels will be shared out is still a matter of fierce dispute.
Agriculture is among areas devolved to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, but both countries have said the UK government is trying a 'naked power grab' by repatriating powers to Westminster.
Scott Walker, NFUS chief executive, said the Scottish government is best placed to understand local farmers’ needs and that all of the UK’s devolved nations should have equal say in future policy.
“If the UK agricultural policy is basically set by Defra, then you don’t have a UK agricultural policy, what you have is an English policy being imposed on Scotland, Wales and Ulster,” Mr Walker explained.
