SCOT GOV MUST STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND DELIVER URGES NFUS PRESIDENT

In his address to NFU Scotland’s Annual General Meeting, President Allan Bowie has called for the Scottish Government to step up to the plate and deliver much-needed support payments to farmers and crofters.
President Allan Bowie told the AGM – being held in St Andrews on Thursday 11 February – that with the last 12 months being tough and challenging, the delay in payments, combined with adverse weather and volatility across all sectors; that the Scottish agricultural industry is in a poor place.
However, he said that with farmers having done their bit to produce fine Scottish food and drink, the Scottish Government now needs to do theirs as a matter of urgency. He stressed that work was needed on many fronts to ensure a strong future for Scottish agriculture.
Addressing delegates at the AGM, Mr Bowie said: “Cash flows are under severe pressure, and the worry and stress of not knowing when support streams will start to flow is starting to impact on the health of our hard-working farmers.
“With only a third of Scottish farmers having received any element of support under new CAP schemes, we need to start seeing movement and delivery before purdah comes into play for May’s Scottish Parliamentary elections and the chance to publicly call our politicians to account is lost.
“Initial estimates for the Total Farm Income figure for Scotland in 2015 show a decrease of 15 per cent. This is only the second time this century that incomes have fallen for two consecutive years. And, looking at forecast figures across all sectors, it is a challenge to see farm incomes rally in 2016.
“It should be a concern – not just for every farmer or crofter at this AGM – but everyone with an interest in the wellbeing of Scotland’s economy that the fall in our total farm output is as much to do with decreased production as it is to do with decreased prices.
“The current cashflow crisis – which has a flawed support delivery system at its core – is not just about farmers, but the knock on effect to auxiliary trades and all those who provide farmers with a service. A healthy farming sector is the mainstay of the rural economy and the bedrock of the Scottish food and drink sector – we need the whole industry to work together.
“Twenty months on from the Cabinet Secretary’s initial statement on CAP implementation, the majority of Scottish farmers still remain completely unaware of when they will receive support payment under the new schemes.
“To date, only a small share of basic payments and greening payments have been made so far and, compared to this time last year, around £440 million is outstanding to farmers.
“That is the hole in the Scottish rural economy that Scottish Government is responsible for and the reason why the wheels have stopped turning in the Scottish countryside.
“We need all businesses to get the majority of their payments in the next month to avoid further damage to family farms and those companies that rely on their business.
“It is about time that those responsible step up to the plate and tell it how it is so farm businesses can plan and we can continue to put food on people’s plates.
“We have to make agriculture more sustainable for the future– for that to happen, we need delivery of promises, leadership at all levels, innovation and investment, and fair margins, in order to secure farm businesses for generations to come.”