Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 Financing, Management and Monitoring of Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateAllan Dorans
Main Page: Allan Dorans (Scottish National Party - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)Department Debates - View all Allan Dorans's debates with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(4 years, 6 months ago)
General CommitteesThe statutory instrument is of great interest to me. My constituency is hugely rural. It is 50 miles long and 20 miles wide. The agriculture and farming industry is critical to our national and local economy, in terms of the production of beef, lamb, dairy produce, and crops such as cereals and potatoes. The issue is therefore hugely important to us.
I welcome the continuity, but the direct payments made by the UK Government under the common agricultural policy amounted to about £400 million per annum. The Scottish Government recognise that direct payment schemes are critical to Scottish farmers, and have therefore been pressing the UK Government to address the issue since last year. The statutory instruments are a last-minute fix for a problem that was flagged up to the UK Government last year. They are representative of their reckless approach, and show contempt for our farming and crofting communities.
Scottish Government farm business income statistics show that without the support of the direct payments about 60% of agricultural businesses would record a loss. Without the measures to address the legal vacuum in relation to making direct payments to farmers there would be severe financial implications for many of Scotland’s agricultural businesses and they would go bankrupt. That would mean many businesses would fold in turn.
We support the statutory instruments reluctantly, because of the circumstances in which they have been imposed on us.