Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing has slammed the UK Government’s Agriculture Bill and said it could potentially spell the end of coupled and Less Favoured Areas (LFA) support payments.
Mr Ewing said the bill, published yesterday, completely fails to deliver on promises made to Scotland in respect of devolved settlements and righting long-standing issues.
The bill, which sets out primary legislation mostly for England and some UK-wide policies, lays out plans to phase out direct support payments in England by 2027 and replace them with a new system of environmental land management payments.
Mr Ewing said: “It [the bill] represents a missed opportunity for the UK Government to deliver on promises made during the referendum and since, namely that Scottish farmers would continue to receive at least the same level of funding as they currently do in the event of Brexit.”
He said the bill “rides roughshod” over the devolved settlement and it could create unilateral powers that could potentially constrain policy choices.
“Unless and until the attempts to grab key powers that impact on farming and food production are addressed and revised, we are clear that we cannot and will not bring forward legislative consent motions for primary Brexit legislation,” added Mr Ewing.
Opposition politicians have been quick to criticise Mr Ewing for not drawing up post-Brexit agricultural legislation in Scotland.
Scotland Secretary David Mundell said the UK Government’s bill ensured that new systems of farming support can be put in place after 2020 in England and Wales.
He added: “Time is running out for the Scottish Government to act. It is simply not acceptable for Scottish farmers to be kept in the dark about the future of agricultural policy in Scotland.
“The UK Government has already agreed to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support for Scotland until the end of this Parliament.”
Conservative MP for Moray, Douglas Ross, said the Scottish Government was not giving enough priority to future policy.
He said: “Much of agricultural policy in Scotland is devolved yet the SNP Government is keeping farmers in the dark about what their policy actually is.”