Prosperity for all must include Scottish farmers
The Executive must act urgently to protect Scottish dairy farmers if ministers are to achieve the Executive's aim of prosperity for all, Greens said today after challenging McConnell at First Minister's Questions. The First Minister claimed he sympathised with the plight of the farmers - who are paid below the cost of production for milk - but stopped short of pledging any specific measures or action to address the ongoing crisis in dairy farming.
Greens' Co-convener Shiona Baird MSP pushed Jack McConnell to commit to working with Westminster to protect dairy farmers from the impact of supermarket price wars. McConnell failed to offer farmers much more than words of commiseration and instead left their fate in the hands of the supermarkets bosses who he urged to address the issue "with a great deal of seriousness".
Shiona Baird MSP, a former farmer, said, "I sincerely doubt that supermarket bosses will heed McConnell's plea to address the issue with "seriousness". The big four supermarkets are trying to extract every last drop of profit out of farmers - regardless of the effects on local economies or to communities - and what the farmers need now is some genuine commitment from McConnell to take decisive action. Rural development is devolved, enterprise is devolved, agriculture is devolved - it is time McConnell stopped passing the buck and started standing up for Scottish farmers.
"Leaving the fate of Scottish dairy farming in the hands of the DTI is simply not an option, and the OFT has recently failed to recommend strengthening the supermarkets' code of practice. It is neither fair nor wise to leave farmers so vulnerable to the fierce price wars that are conducted at their expense. Today's response from the First Minister indicates a naive and misguided faith in companies whose ruthless pursuit of profit above all else is leaving farmers and their communities devastated."
Over the last six years, one in four Scottish dairy farms have gone out of business and many others are now struggling to survive. Campaign groups and unions such as the National Farmers' Union Scotland and FARM have been campaigning, with the support for Greens, to raise awareness of the issue and pressure ministers, in particular rural development minister Ross Finnie, into taking some action.
In recent weeks, Greens have backed farmers who have turned to direct action, blockading milk depots, as a last ditch attempt to try to secure a fair deal from milk processors, who in turn argue that they are under increasing pressure to cut costs by supermarkets' demands for higher returns. (1) Greens want the supermarkets' code of practice to be strengthened and an independent ombudsman to help ensure a fair price and a fair deal for producers, pointing out that only by protecting producers can the environment and the high standard of agriculture be protected.
