Livestock industry groups yesterday called for a more aggressive approach from the Scottish Government to secure aid for the cattle and sheep sector as the president of NFU Scotland reminded it not to forget arable farmers in Cap reforms.
There was also a distinct change in tone from the livestock groups, several of which have warned in recent weeks about an exodus from cattle and sheep and beef producers being “shafted” in the government’s Cap implementation plan.
A letter to Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead from the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers, National Sheep Association Scotland, the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders Associations, the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers, NFU Scotland, the Scottish Beef Association and Scottish Dairy Cattle Association said their shared concern was that the government’s blueprint is “likely to trigger a further fall in production”.
They added: “Unless the Scottish Government prioritises production and targets money to active farm businesses, Scotland’s livestock sector will be pushed over the edge into significant decline. The future of Scottish farming is at a tipping point. The Scottish Government must be bold if it is to drive the sector forward.”
The groups want a more aggressive commitment to active farming and more sophisticated approach to targeting aid.
They have demanded support only goes to those actively farming and want efforts to be focused on ensuring that happens. They want the rough grazing area split up so payments can be better targeted. A uniform payment across one rough grazing region is branded fundamentally flawed.
They seek the transition from the historic to new area-based payment system to be better managed and a so-called tunnel approach taken to limit the impact of changes. The groups also want rural development funds targeted on securing innovation and carbon efficiency. There is a demand for landless livestock keepers who rent farmland to graze cattle and sheep to be paid aid.
Nigel Miller has, meanwhile, written to Mr Lochhead reminding him not to overlook the challenges faced by the arable and cropping sectors and in particular the new crop diversification and ecological focus area demands which will challenge a significant number of producers, create complexity and add compliance costs.
Mr Miller called on Mr Lochhead to address the financial disadvantages faced by arable farmers in Scotland who would be receiving lower areas payments than those elsewhere in the UK and in northern Europe.
The union leader has challenged Mr Lochhead to make sure Scottish farmers have as wide a range of options under the ecological focus area demands as possible so they can comply easily with the new legislation.
Mr Miller said Scotland also needed to break away from the rigid crop diversity requirements which are likely to cut spring barley production alone by up to 150,000 tonnes. “There are real wins in precision farming techniques while the use of break crops or winter stubble management might deliver further carbon and environmental gains, creating a balanced equivalent scheme,” he added.
Mr Miller wants rural development cash for arable farms to repair and upgrade field drains.