North-east farmers have called for “heads to roll” at government over its failure to pay subsidy support on time.
Around 200 farmers vented their frustration with government at an open meeting held by NFU Scotland at the Porterhouse restaurant in Thainstone, Inverurie.
The producers were also fiercely critical of environmental agency Sepa saying its rules and regulations surrounding the dredging of rivers were to blame for the recent floods.
NFU Scotland president Allan Bowie said government officials failed to grasp the severity of cash-flow problems on farms at the moment.
“The industry is suffering. Cash-flow isn’t there,” said Mr Bowie.
He called for a government enquiry into the failings of the IT system handling payments, which has cost an estimated £180million to develop.
The union’s regional chairman Roddy Catto, who runs a dairy farm at Hillhead of Muirton, Whitecairns, near Aberdeen, said the failure to pay farmers showed “pure incompetence” and said government was “full of broken promises”.
On the recent flooding, he said: “Sepa’s rules and regulations caused a lot of the problems in Deeside by the lack of common sense. We need to push Sepa. We don’t need to pay for these licences [to dredge rivers] because we are going to help local communities to prevent flooding. Yes we need approval to go and do it, but we shouldn’t have to pay for the licence.”
This was backed by David Winton who lost three acres of his land to flood at the Haughs of Birse near Aboyne. He urged farmers to document any flooding damage and report it to the union and Sepa.
Farm consultant Gerald Banks, who chairs the union’s environment and land use committee, said water management policy which promoted “re-wilding” and “wiggling burns” should not be given a higher priority than targeted maintenance and removal of pinch-points in rivers.
“As far as Sepa and the Scottish Government is concerned dredging is a dirty word,” said Mr Banks.
“This must change; it is part of a common sense strategy that worked for generations protecting our flood-risk communities.”
Moray farmer Edward Mountain, who is standing as a candidate for the Tories in the upcoming Scottish election, urged farmers to write letters to their MSPs expressing their concerns and demand answers over issues such as subsidy payments, flooding and the forthcoming land reform bill.