OVER the past two years the Scottish Government has pledged it support for agriculture and the rural sector – however, it now appears that the cash is becoming increasingly short and there will have to be a "rationalisation of priorities".
The core element of the SNP’s commitment was to deliver around £1.6 billion over the next six years through its much-vaunted Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP). Many applications have been made for funding through a range of schemes, but theADVERTISEMENTy were on a competitive basis: consultants made money, but farmers gained very little.
That issue has subsequently been raised by a wide range of rural organisations. The Scottish Government has pointed out that the 2008 "health check" of the Common Agricultural Policy resulted in a generally favourable outcome for Scotland, especially in being permitted to continue with a special support scheme for the production of beef calves from the hills and uplands.
There is a technical option on offer to EU farmers through the Brussels "article 68" of the single farm payment regulations. This means that the Scottish Government could, if it chooses, top-slice payments to some sectors of the industry, and then re-distribute that cash as it feel appropriate. Funding for the hill farming sector is clearly an obvious priority above the current budget of £61 million each year.
NFU Scotland has been unhappy for many months at the direction of the government’s policies and late last year issued its own detailed manifesto.
Nigel Miller, vice-president of NFUS, made these views clear in Perth yesterday. He said: "From last September, when we launched our proposals, we have been on a long journey involving detailed discussions with our members, other organisations and government. We are now at the point where we have refined our proposals to a core package and we need a suitable response."
The perception of farmers is that governments throughout the UK are more than willing to spend money on environmental projects, but give little consideration to the production of food. Farmers know full well, especially in the wake of the December census statistic which revealed that the country has lost over one million breeding ewes and at least 70,000 beef cows in no more than a decade, that food production is on the slide – imports will cost considerably more, especially with sterling at its current record low level against both the euro and the US dollar.
Miller has long argued on this front, but he remains a pragmatist. He said: "Everything now hinges on the Scottish Government delivering on its commitment to making rural development support, under a range of schemes, actually work.
"The options we have suggested can deliver public benefits in terms of conservation and a target development of the industry. We at NFUS have been focussed on being both constructive and flexible in our discussions to the point where we think we have developed a package that can deliver. The clock is now ticking to get measures in place and we need a buy-in from the Scottish Government urgently."
However, the bottom line is that there is an increasing perception throughout both the EU and the rest of the world that it will not be oil that runs short, but food. Turning on the tap in the Middle East is simple, but boosting food production could well take the better end of a decade. When a cow meets a bull, it takes as long as three years before the subsequent calf meets a butcher.