Key Address at NFUS AGM - Scottish Craft Butchers

“We are living in challenging times and one of the challenges is not something that I can do anything about, namely the weather.
Weather it has been a serious problem. I have I hope taken action to deal with some of the consequences that have arisen from that. For example with the New hog scheme and animal slurry management. We have also taken action to make sure that we are better prepared in the future.”

Working with NFUS the Scottish Government has set up a weather panel to look at long and short term resilience including monitoring emerging situations and looking at possible feed shortages.

Fergus was applauded for his description of the importance of agriculture when he said:-
“The primary role of agriculture is to produce high quality food. That is the central and fundamental role, it is what farming is for, it is what it was invented for. It is not the only role but I do believe that the public still believe that it is the primary role of what you do. Therefore any future policy or support regime, not subsidy, must have food production at its core.

“In the current debate on Post Brexit policy many people are rallying to the cause of more public value in return for public money. My own four agricultural champions have said that as have rural advisers. I entirely agree that Scotland retains capacity to produce food is in the public interest.

“We must continue to support and incentivise high quality sustainable food production. We must recognise the importance of public investment and must promote further productivity and efficiency in the way in which you produce our food.

“From my perspective food production is at the very heart of the debate about public value.

“Farming conditions in Scotland are such that focus is on quality and not quantity. So we must protect the provenance and qualities priorities in the negotiations with Europe including retention of PGIs.”

The Cabinet Secretary acknowledged that Scottish farmers had not benefited enough from the continuing rise in the value of food and drink exports.

“Supply chain will be a key focus of the Food & Drink industry strategy. The food and drink sector must be underpinned by a sustainable productive farming sector. Part of the answer may be more farmers forming into cooperatives to deliver commercial strength.”

Food production is not the only role but farmers are the custodians of Scotland's landscape.

“Centuries of hard work by you and your predecessors. If we stopped support to farmers how then would we ensure that land is fenced, dyked, hedged, trees are planted and soil limed and drained?”

Fergus expressed frustration with the lack of any financial predictions for the post Brexit UK. He promised however to work with NFUS to inform future policy.

“Any financial modelling must surely have financial figures. Any business plan needs a budget, but post Brexit there are at present no figures, no plans and no budget and therefore it is not possible to carry out any sensible modelling other than with pure speculation.”

Up to the point of monotony, The Cabinet Secretary listed a long list of actions taken by Scottish Government to support Scottish farmers and industries big and small. These are only some he highlighted:-

Farming summits, set up weather panel, worked on CAP IT issues, published CAP stabilisation plan, paid out Â£367m in loans, approved grants, held first summit on public procurement, funded RSABI to support farmers facing hardship, got Defra and devolved administrations meetings reestablished, secured BSE negligible risk status for Scotland, successfully introduced Scot Moves to monitor cattle movements, supported the rural mental health campaign, provided start up grants of over Â£9.5m to 175 new entrants, continued to work with retailers, more than Â£1m spent on QMS farm assurance scheme (that was zero in 2013), Â£10m support for the Ambition 2030 strategy, showcasing Scotland events.

“We have not been idle and we will continue over the next year to work on your behalf.

“Food production- productivity and innovation are key. It is mindblowing what can be done with the application of science, technology and digital technology and we want to grasp that.”

To that end the Cabinet Secretary announced new rural innovation support service of Â£3/4 m. to accelerate uptake of innovation and technology in the sector by providing brokerage to groups of farmers, foresters and crofters as the first step to forming partnerships.

On CAP payments Fergus claimed “we have made substantial progress and determined to get a system that puts you as the customer at its heart.
On track for single application form and progressing towards online application forms. Not compulsory this year but it will be more efficient. He expected to make the majority of payments earlier but cannot guarantee that all payments will be made on time.

Turning to Brexit, 19 months on from the referendum and just 13 months away from the exit. He said:-

“We are no further forward on trade, tariffs, freedom of movement or customs union. No clarity of transfer of powers on agriculture and food. We welcome the undertakings by the UK Government to date so far as they go, they are good but we do not believe go far enough.”

After Oxford Conference in January Mr Gove was widely reported as saying that CAP payments will be paid until 2024. Fergus Ewing saw it differently:-

“But that is not what he said, consultation on post Brexit funding was what he said. There is uncertainty on funding and no guarantee beyond 2021. I make no apology for pressing UK ministers to keep their promises that were made during the referendum campaign. Those promises were that when we exited the EU there would be at least as much funding as from the EU.

“There is uncertainty not just on the funding but on the timescale. The transition period of two years is far too short. I will seek clarity, certainty, stability and security for future funding.”

Fergus Ewing told farmers at their Annual General meeting in Glasgow that he does not support the reintroduction of lynx, wolves and bears.
“This will happen over my dead body”. I will not support anything that further makes difficult the work you do. There are enough predators in Scotland.”

Restriction on live animal export. “This is one UK wide framework we will support. We are committed to the high welfare of animals during transport by adhering to the current rigorous EU standards that apply.”

Free movement of people. Businesses rely on people to produce high quality food. Single market plea EU nationals important in dairy, fruit growing and picking, abattoirs, haulage, food processing and also vets.

“I will do as much as i can to continue to make the case for non UK nationals. This government is determined to keep people in rural Scotland, we want to see not re-wilding but re-peopling of our rural communities. I will do my best to ensure that you get the right support at the right time in the right way.”