North-east farmers have given union leaders the thumbs up to lobby Holyrood and Westminster with their detailed vision forĀ a new Scottish agricultural policy.
NFUS president Martin Kennedy outlined the blueprint the union believes could form the basis of a new scheme which is expected to come into force in 2025 when he spoke to members at roadshow meetings in Perth and Inverurie .
The policy, which was first mooted last year, includes a proposal for support for active farmers and crofters to be āre-coupledā with area-based payments to ensure the industry retains a critical mass and puts food production āfront and centreā ahead of all other priorities.
The document envisagesĀ three tiers of support.
The first is an underpinning āstabilityā payment which would be worth 50% of income, with other support split between āconditionalityā ā non-competitive payments for measures taken to tackle climate change, biodiversityĀ and efficiency, for instance ā and. thirdly. āadditionalityā payments which would be competitive for those who wanted to go āabove and beyondā into projects such as peatland restoration or forestry.
However, while the union may have the full backing of the farmers who have attended the Thainstone meeting, farmers at the Perth event expressed concern that the government might not agree to the proposals and no alternative plan has been forthcoming.
Even if the unionās proposal wins a mandate from members, NFUS will still need to convinceĀ the Scottish Government and persuade Westminster to pay for it.
Addressing farmers at Thainstone, Mr Kennedy said the union was determined Scottish producers would not be subjected to the ācar crashāĀ policy agreed south of the border, and while the Scottish Government has committed to 50% of total support to Scottish farming going in direct payments in future, he admitted he was having difficulty getting Treasury officials to understand the different approaches the devolved governments are taking.
āThis is a defining moment for Scottish agriculture,ā he said.
āWe must use all our influence now, in the lead up to the Scottish Governmentās Agriculture Bill in 2023.
āWe wonāt get everything we want, we know that, but unless weāre trying to steer it , itāll be an even greater challenge.ā
More than 100 farmers attended the Perth meeting. The regionās chair, Caroline Miller, said: āThere was broadly support and recognition that the union has done a lot of work, but frustration and concern from members that the government is not being equally proactive.ā