A leading Scottish farmer has said the SNP-Green government’s fiasco surrounding future policy support is “completely embarrassing” and will make no “difference to the real world we are living in”.
Jim Walker, who chairs the Suckler Beef Climate Change Group Programme Board, attended a recent Rural Affairs and Islands committee, which saw the future agricultural policy top on the agenda.
Mr Walker did not hold back on his criticism of the government’s failing support and said that officials ignored the programme he outlined two years ago, despite similar schemes being proven to work in Australia and Ireland.
“In the beef sector, an animal is at least two years old before she has her first calf so there is simply not time to make the kind of changes we need,” he said.
“Beef farmers in particular are operating in a total vacuum and against an economic background of the highest fertiliser prices, feed costs and fuel costs in history and the best prices for cull animals cows that we have ever seen.
“Farmers are culling animals like there is no tomorrow, partly because they cannot afford to keep them and partly because they are getting the best price that they have ever had.
‘No way on earth’ Scottish Government farm initiatives will help
“We are under 400,000 cows now – we are absolutely tiny in world terms. We have a very efficient and tough competitor right across the Irish Sea, with access to our market, called southern Ireland.”
Mr Walker referred to one of the government’s new payments of £250 for specific interventions, such as vet screening of livestock for certain diseases.
“With the addition of £250 to get a vet to write a health plan, my business would be eligible for £1,250 over two years for all these new initiatives.
“We keep hearing that we have a climate emergency, but that £1,250 would not even pay for the disinfectant that we use while we calve 700 cows per year.
“The current measures are definitely embarrassing, and there is no way on earth that they will make any difference to what is happening in the real world that we are all living in.”
‘This perilous situation cannot continue for farmers’
Scottish Conservative shadow rural affairs secretary Rachael Hamilton, was also present in the meeting.
Ms Hamilton described the committee session as “eye-opening” and exposed the “overwhelming failures” of government in ensuring that farmers are “fully equipped and resourced” with clear policies for the future.
She highlighted that Andrew Moir, the chair of the Arable Climate Change Group told the committee that the arable sector is “leaving the Scottish Government way behind” with the things they are already doing with new technology.
“SNP-Green ministers should have been squirming and feeling ashamed tuning into this session,” said Ms Hamilton.
“The dithering and delaying over future policy should be a source of shame for ministers and the sector is crying out for support and ministers to be on their side.
“This perilous situation cannot continue for farmers, crofters and the agriculture sector. They must understand the anger from the industry and I will continue to hold ministers’ feet to the fire over their policy failures.”
Conversation