RURAL Scotland and its operations have seldom been the political focus for the vast majority of the population of the Central Belt and the conurbations of Aberdeen and Dundee. But that is now changing – the environment and the manner in which food is produced is rapidly rising up the agenda for both politicians and consumers.
This was evident yesterday in Edinburgh on the first day of a two-day conference entitled "Land Management in a Changing Environment".
The tone was set from the outset by Professor Bill McKelvey, the chief executive of the Scottish Agricultural C
ollege, a major organiser of the biennial event along with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa).
He said: "There is a growing interest in sustainable land use as we have come to accept that climate change is a reality. There is also a clear understanding on the political front that food security is a real issue.
"What we have to do is to ensure farmers and others are able to look after the environment, but are still able to produce the food that we all need."
Mike Russell, the environment minister, said: "Reconciling the wide range of interests in the countryside is part of my role over a wide range of projects. Sustainable growth is central to the Scottish Government – and that applies very much to the countryside.
"We have to tackle the real concerns, not least of which is climate change, that have been with us for the last 40 years. We in government are committed to reducing emissions of by 80 per cent before 2050. It is an ambitious target, but we have to start now if we are to achieve our goals."
Farmers, especially those who operate in nitrate-vulnerable zones (NVZs), are now faced with some hefty additional costs because their use of slurry and other farmyard manure will be restricted. Grants will be forthcoming up to a maximum of 40 per cent on capital projects.
However, there remains a perception that using any form of fertiliser runs counter to Scottish Government policies.
Not so, according to Russell: "If fertilisers are not well targeted, there will be excessive losses of nutrients to rivers and the atmosphere. I believe that the rules, based on good practice measures, will help achieve improvements in Scotland's water environment without imposing substantial costs on land managers."
The Scottish Government is keen to see up to 25 per cent of the land mass under forestry. Farmers will argue this goal does not sit easily with the concept of food production. The official view is decisions will have to be taken on a joint basis.
Russell was also keen to stress the potential benefits of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP), which aims to deliver benefits of £1.6 billion over the next seven years, with the first payments rolled out later during the summer months.
Some of the cash will be derived from Holyrood, but the basic fact is farmers will be the principal paymasters through the modulation of their single farm payment cheques. Modulation is a progressive tax on farm subsidies, but the complaint on the part of farmers is that there will be relatively few winners under the SRDP and many net losers.
However, speaking after his formal address to the conference, Russell
said: "I think that is the wrong way to look at the equation. There will be a range of around 140 possible contracts. Yes, it will be a competitive process, but there should be something in it for most people with a positive attitude to the countryside."
Another contentious issue is the future of Sepa and Scottish Natural Heritage – both of which have substantial budgets funded by taxpayers. The impression gained from the SNP election manifesto was that these organisations would be amalgamated.
That pledge is now clearly on the back-burner with Russell stating there was scope for cost sharing and a reduction in the number of inspections that farmers and land users are subject to, but there will be no compulsory redundancies.
The full article contains 679 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
