MCALPINE WELCOMES CAP IMPLEMNATATION PLAN
Written by author on June 16, 2014
South of Scotland MSP Joan McAlpine has welcomed the announcement from Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead of a package of measures to support Scottish farming and rural communities.
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, Mr Lochhead outlined how the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will be implemented in Scotland including plans for direct farm payments and Scotland’s rural development programme between 2015 and 2020.
He said:
“The measures I am announcing today will target support at genuinely active farmers – including new entrants – as well as specific measures to support Scottish livestock producers and the environment.
“In the face of the constraints imposed by the UK-negotiated budget deal, EU rules and challenging market conditions I have consulted extensively on CAP reform in Scotland and carefully considered all views.
“I am confident this is the best possible CAP package for Scotland under the circumstances, and will lay the foundations for a successful Scottish agricultural sector for years to come.
“Of course, if Scotland had been an independent country during the last round of CAP talks, we would have received an additional €1 billion in direct farm support and been able to join other countries in negotiating an uplift of hundreds of millions of euros in our rural development budget which helps our rural communities.
“It drives home the need for an independent Scotland to have our own seat at the top table in Europe for the next CAP negotiations.”
Ms McAlpine welcomed the Cabinet Secretary’s statement but emphasised that farmers are being hurt by Scotland’s regional status within the EU due to the UK Government’s repeated failure to secure a good deal for Scotland.
The SNP MSP commented:
“This announcement shows that the Cabinet Secretary has listened carefully to Scottish farmers and bent over backwards to get the best settlement in difficult circumstances. We should never forget that Scotland’s regional status in Europe means we get the lowest CAP per hectare. As an independent country, Scotland would be €1bill better off under CAP. It is also worth remembering that UK ministers wanted to abolish direct farm payments – something the Scottish Government opposed. Fortunately the UK was over-ruled by its EU partners.”
Ms McAlpine attended a regional National Farmers Union of Scotland meeting in Castle Douglas last Friday to hear what Dumfries and Galloway farmers wanted from Mr Lochhead.
She said:
“I am very pleased Mr Lochhead’s statement addressed all the concerns local farmers raised with me. First of all, they wanted strict activity requirements in return for payments and that is number one on the Cabinet Secretary’s list.
Second they wanted a five year transition period which is exactly what he has delivered. The local farmers also wanted a negative list, which he has done. They wanted a beef improvement scheme from Cap 2, which I am pleased to see he has created at a cost of £45million.
“Mr Lochhead has worked tirelessly to deliver for Scottish agriculture. But the money itself is negotiated by the UK government, who have not served Scotland well. Until we are an independent member of the EU we will have to divide up a cake whose size we cannot determine. It is frankly a disgrace that Scotland gets the lowest CAP in Europe when agriculture is a key industry and major earner.”
