The Scottish Government revealed new proposals last night to prevent so-called slipper farmers claiming millions of pounds of aid for doing nothing in the new Cap.
The latest thinking follows the European Commission’s rejection in November of the government’s longstanding plan – the so-called Scottish clause in Cap reforms – to link all future subsidy payments on certain types of land with minimum livestock stocking densities. Commission officials said the proposal would breach World Trade Organisation rules by restoring a direct link between aid and livestock production.
Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said the government had “found a solution which meets WTO rules”. But it has crucially yet to receive the commission’s blessing.
The new proposal still retains a livestock element as subsidy recipients from 2015 would either have to keep livestock at an appropriate level linked to the carrying capacity of their land, or show significant active efforts annually to maintain their farmland in good condition.
Mr Lochhead added: “The package we are proposing has received positive feedback from stakeholders and the next step is to take this proposal to Europe at the earliest opportunity to ensure our proposed solution is on a firm legal footing.”
The government said it was confident its solution would meet EC and WTO requirements as there was now more than one criterion for defining active farming.
Mr Lochhead went on: “Slipper farming is a blight on Scottish agriculture and we need to take action to ensure only active farmers are supported under the new Cap.
“The issue of slipper farming is a particular concern in Scotland where we have around a million hectares (2.47million acres) of wild land where no farming activity whatsoever is taking place but could qualify for new direct payments in 2015 unless action is taken in Europe.
“We need a meaningful and workable way of implementing the Scottish clause if we are to prevent a significant dilution of payments to genuinely active farmers and a waste of millions of euros of Cap money. Clearly, reducing support for inactivity means more funding will be available for productive farmers.”
The government said the evidence of significant active efforts to maintain agricultural land in good condition annually could include mowing or cutting vegetation to agreed specifications.
NFU Scotland policy director Jonnie Hall said the union shared the same resolute commitment with the government to ensure farming activity remains the key criteria for claiming subsidies in the new Cap.