Scottish farmers must face up to the reality of different support payments under the new Common Agricultural Policy (Cap), says farm minister Richard Lochhead.
Responding to calls from the Scottish Beef Association (SBA) yesterday that he must stand up for the sector, Mr Lochhead said the stark reality is that there is less money to play with and farmers will most likely get different levels of support.
“We are now approaching decision time on how to implement the new Cap in Scotland and I have embarked on a final round of meetings with stakeholders,” said Mr Lochhead.
“Only this week we finally obtained the green light from the UK Government to use up to 13% of Scotland’s budget for coupled schemes and now we have that clarity we can begin to take the final decisions.”
He said a smaller budget with mandatory deductions and the move from historic to area payments with limited options for linking payments would change the landscape of the payments regime.
“Producers do indeed face new levels of payments and I am being lobbied hard by many different sectors all making strong cases to be prioritised,” said Mr Lochhead.
“I have always been clear that Scotland needs a Cap that supports active farming and food production, as well as responsible land use, and that we need to strike the right balance between flexibility and simplicity.”
He said he was listening closely to the on-going representations on various issues and he will announce the final Cap package next month.
In response to SBA chairman Scott Henderson’s warning that Mr Lochhead runs the risk of being remembered as “the man who finished Scotch Beef”, the farm minister said he fully supported the beef sector.
“I continue to recognise the pivotal role our beef producers play in Scotland’s success story and the fact that supporting this sector is not just about the producers but also about the marts, livestock hauliers, processing sector and so on,” said Mr Lochhead.
“That’s why I set up the Beef 2020 Group to look at options for increasing sustainable long term growth in the Scotch Beef sector.”
Headed up by Quality Meat Scotland chairman Jim McLaren, the group has been looking at how to boost beef production.
Mr Lochhead said the group is due to report back to government in the next few weeks with recommendations on how to deliver a “sustainable long-term future for the industry”.