Scottish government warns Westminster that ag budget is 'shrinking'

The Scottish government has called on Westminster to provide more certainty as the post-Brexit pot of funding for agriculture is 'shrinking'.

The SNP-led government said the farming industry required 'future funding certainty' due to the long term nature of investment decisions and long lead-in time for farmers.

It has urged the UK government to 'fully replace' EU funds in order to minimise disruption to the industry.

The concerns are included in a letter written by Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon to Steve Barclay, the new Defra Secretary.

While the UK was in the EU, Scotland saw a seven-year multi-annual framework, receiving nearly a billion pounds in funding annually to support farming, environmental protection and wider rural priorities.

But Ms Gougeon told Mr Barclay that since the UK left the bloc, Scotland's funding allocation had been 'shrinking'.

“This has direct implications on the management of our existing programme and our Agriculture Reform Programme," she said in a letter to the Defra Secretary,

"It would be a great start to our working relationship if you might commit at the earliest possible opportunity that the UK government will fully replace EU funds in order to minimise the disruption to rural industries.”

Her letter also raised the issues of personal imports of animal products, the rural visa pilot proposal and post-Brexit trade deals.

The UK government's trade deals with Australia and New Zealand "are not good enough" for Scottish farmers, Holyrood recently warned.

The deals, which entered into force on 31 May, will provide Australian and New Zealand exporters with unfettered access to the UK market.

This could allow an influx of goods, often produced to lower cost and regulatory standards, with fears it could undercut British farmers.

Ms Gougeon added: “Regrettably, the deals secured with Australia and New Zealand were not in line with our trade strategy, nor the needs or expectations of industry and are likely to impact adversely on Scottish beef and lamb.

"We now need to ensure that lessons are learned in time for the conclusion of the Canadian, Indian, and Mexican trade deals, some of which may be entering their final stages, as well as ensuring that traders can leverage any benefits from these deals to help recover from Brexit.”