S ER TT BA TE ET IN M ON WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THE NFU AND HER HIGHS AND LOWS OF TOP JOB – SEE PAGE 8
February 16 2024 | £4.10 | Become a member from £2.09 | farmersguardian.com
BUMPER SALES SECTION STARTS ON P25
THE HEART OF AGRICULTURE DAIRY
Special supplement focusing on animal health
SCOTTISH EDITION
FARMING: THE BACKBONE OF BRITAIN
MACHINERY
Cheviots still at the heart of breeder’s passion
Maize providing a useful income
PAGE 84
PAGE 62
CLIFF EDGE INSIDE BUY & SELL
● £46m deferred to future budgets ● Yousaf leaves farmers deflated By Chris Brayford SCOTLAND’S First Minister Humza Yousaf left farmers feeling ‘at the bottom of the pile’ after he failed to pledge to immediately return the promised £46 million to the agricultural budget. Addressing more than 400 delegates at the NFU Scotland Conference in Glasgow last Friday (February 9), Mr Yousaf said the SNP/Green Party coalition had not taken the decision ‘lightly’ to defer a proportion of the total £61m to future budgets. It means only £15m will be allocated to the 2024/2025 budget – a decision which NFUS said left farmers facing a ‘cliff edge’. NFUS president Martin Kennedy said: “If the Scottish Government wants to continue to support the biggest part of our economy and genuinely cares about our fantastic environment, then I urge them to listen to us as the true economic drivers and custodians of the land.” Mr Kennedy also suggested the SNP ‘ditch the Greens’, as he said the party had been the ‘biggest threat to the very environment we want to protect’.
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Humza Yousaf addressing the delegates at the NFU Scotland Conference.
“Their severe lack of understanding of how the countryside works is staggering. “Providing adequate support to, and investment in, the sector right now will provide a clear signal that the Scottish Government is committed to the long-term future of the country’s primary producers in our endeavours to produce high-quality food, address climate change and support biodiversity recovery. We can have the best
agricultural policy in the world, but if there is no meaningful funding to deliver it, that would be a cliff edge for our members.” Alan MacLellan, an arable farmer from Dundee, said he had been ‘let down’ by the First Minister’s speech. Mr MacLellan said: “Farmers are fighting on the front line of a battle to keep producing food while being demonised for their impact on the environment. Mr Yousaf, you have to roll
up your sleeves and fight for farmers. We have no clarity or direction about where we sit other than to simply do more for the environment. “Greenwashing farmers with more broken promises has left us feeling like we are at the bottom of the pile. It certainly will not be forgotten about at the next General Election.” Graham Shannie, a beef and sheep farmer from Auchlyne, Stirling, added: “Farmers are tired of being placed out to dry by Governments who cannot match the ambitions we have to deliver food for the public and to maintain our beautiful countryside.” Mr Yousaf insisted farmers would see the full £61m returned to the portfolio to support farmers as part of future budgets. “It is the biggest financial constraint I have had to deal with. We had £500m taken out of the budget over the last two years in real terms.” Mr Yousaf has already announced funding for Tiers 1 and 2 in the new support scheme would constitute at least 70 per cent of the overall funding to support farming, crofting and land management from 2027.
14/02/2024 17:25