Finding a seat at the Cap roadshow meeting at the Thainstone Centre on Tuesday was as difficult as trying to make sense of the government’s attempt to implement Cap reform in Scotland.
More than 500 farmers crammed into one of ANM’s sales rings in the hope of finding that Eureka moment for the new Cap. Yet I’m sure most, myself included, came away with more unanswered questions than they arrived with and a feeling of frustration at the sheer complexity of the new system.
Phrases like “our estimates suggest”, “we are still awaiting clarity on that” and “the rules are yet to be defined” were batted around throughout the two-hour meeting.
With the basis of the historic element of the new payments systems up in the air – European officials are questioning the government’s so-called 2013/15 rule – and a lack of detail surrounding the eligibility rules for the National Reserve, which are yet to be sent to the EU for approval, it is no wonder farmers are looking more grumpy than usual.
And for those expecting a gentle move from historic to area-based payments, the prospect of a near 50% drop to the historic element of their payment from year one will come as a shock.
Facing Farm Minister Richard Lochhead at the AgriScot event in Edinburgh on Wednesday, NFU Scotland president Nigel Miller said farmers in Moray could see their subsidy cut by as much as 30% next year.
In a hard-hitting attack on the minister and his team, Mr Miller said an example of this initial drop in payments could see someone with a £319 (400 euros) per hectare payment in 2013 receive only £180 (225 euros) per hectare in 2015.
The current level of uncertainty and lack of detail surrounding the new system doesn’t bode well for Scottish agriculture.
If I was running a farm business and reliant on subsidy support to make ends meet I’d be speaking with my bank to ensure plans were in place for delayed payments next year.