Rachael Hamilton MSP has urged Borders’ farmers to submit their views to a consultation, following years of a lack of policy direction from the Scottish Government.
The ‘Agricultural transition in Scotland’ consultation is open until the 17th November and provides an overview of the key themes and recommendations emerging from the Farmer Led Group process.
The consultation paper sets out a number of questions on the group’s recommendations, which are intended to inform wider work on the development of agricultural policy and in particular the replacement to CAP.
Yet the Scottish Government has admitted it won’t set out proposals for a new Scottish Agriculture Bill until 2022.
The Borders MSP, who is the Scottish Conservative’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, has said the consultation is ‘too little, too late’ but has encouraged farmers to feed into the discussion given the need for urgency.
She believes that the SNP Government has kept farmers in the dark over the future of direction of farm policy and the replacement of CAP, since the vote to leave the EU in 2016.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said:
“This consultation should have been launched years ago and it offers little new in terms of direction.
“The SNP, time and again, hide behind the smokescreen of farmer-led groups and reports.
“Farmers and agricultural organisations have been concerned that there simply isn’t any urgency in the SNP’s action on CAP replacement, and it is affecting future business planning.
“We heard from the Rural Cabinet Secretary that the SNP want to align closer with Brussels, rather than the rest of the UK, which also spells disaster for Borders’ farmers.
“I urge farmers to fill out this consultation and let their views known on these matters”.