Union calls for publication of greening report to achieve environmental goals

NFU Scotland said farmers are lacking information on what real environmental needs are

NFU Scotland is calling for the publication of a report into greening in Scotland, ahead of the Union’s annual conference in February 2018.

The announcement that Professor Russell Grigg was to lead a group looking at greening was made at the NFU Scotland conference in February 2017.

Publication of the Grigg’s Group report would enable work to be done on what future support for arable farming might look like post-Brexit when the Scottish Government can determine its own agricultural policy.

The Grigg’s Greening Group Report, along with the work of the Agricultural Champions, is seen as important in ensuring that Scotland has the correct policies to deliver a profitable and environmentally friendly future for the agriculture industry.

A recent meeting of NFU Scotland’s Combinable Crops Committee considered what future support for arable farming might look like once the UK leaves the European Union and the current EU Basic Payment Scheme ends.

To aid that debate, there was a strong call for the Russell Grigg’s Greening Group Report to be made available.

Environmental protection

Committee Chairman Ian Sands said: “Protection of the environment will continue to be important post Brexit. Instead of a ‘one size fits all’ policy, Scottish Government will have the opportunity to target measures that are more appropriate to Scotland.

“This was something that both we and the Scottish Government pushed for during the negotiation of the last round of Common Agricultural Policy reforms. We didn’t get it and instead ended up with a highly complex package that has satisfied no one.

“NFUS wants to see farmers rewarded for existing good environmental standards that protect Scotland’s countryside. That should include payment for measures that go beyond good farming practice, set at a level that encourages uptake.”

Competitive

Mr Sands said it is "vital" that Scottish farmers can continue to be competitive in growing crops that form the raw material for much of Scotland’s food, drink and feed exports.

“What we are lacking, however, is information on what the real environmental needs are,” he said.

NFU Scotland said some farmers hosted farm visits by Professor Grigg’s Group earlier in 2017, but at the start of 2018, the union said it is still waiting to see the group’s views.

Mr Sands added: “It would be very helpful if the report was available to industry and other stakeholders by the time of the Union’s conference in Glasgow in February – exactly a year after the initial announcement on the group’s formation.”