A commitment to Scottish farmers and crofters around direct payments has been made by First Minister Humza Yousaf
Farming Scotland: Humza Yousaf makes direct payment pledge and says Scottish Government will avoid ‘cliff edges’
Scottish farmers and crofters have been told they will continue to receive most of their existing subsides as direct payments, as Humza Yousaf pledged to avoid financial “cliff edges”.
The commitment was made by the First Minister in a keynote speech delivered at the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) conference in Glasgow on Friday.
Green campaigners had argued the majority of subsidies, worth about £620 million a year, should be linked to farmers’ efforts to tackle nature loss and climate change.
But Mr Yousaf confirmed 70 per cent of support would continue in the form of direct payments, when a multi-tier system is introduced from 2027 onwards. The remaining 30 per cent of payments will be linked to targeted measures, such as restoring peatlands.
The commitment is close to the existing payment structure, under which farmers and crofters receive 80 per cent of available funding in the form of direct support.
Stakeholders said the pledge would provide a boost to the farming sector’s “confidence”.
Mr Yousaf said in his speech: “This approach is the right one for 2027 – it delivers on our promise not to create cliff edges, but to support you to transition to the new support framework.
“That is what we mean by a just transition … but I also want to be clear about it representing the start of doing things differently.
“You will be expected to deliver far more for nature and climate in return for this funding. You will challenge us, rightly, to ask us to work with you to help ensure our land is more sustainable. I promise you we will do that. And I will also ensure we will admit when we haven’t got things right. Sometimes we will create a policy in one department of government and we haven’t fully understood the unintended consequences on your way of life – we are going to change that.”
The planned new scheme has four payment tiers – base, enhanced, elective and complementary. The model’s introduction has been linked to Brexit, which means the UK is now in charge of its own subsidies, with some arguing farmers should have to do more to protect the environment in exchange for the money.
Scottish Liberal Democrat agricultural spokesperson Claire McLaren said the announcement had been “a long time coming”. She said: “Many have been extremely worried about this support dropping off from a cliff edge. The Scottish Government’s slow-footed approach has already caused delays and undermined investment.
“There are still many unknowns here, and that includes what proportion of agriculture funding will be made available to Scotland by Westminster.”
Mr Yousaf said in his speech there was no UK government funding commitment for Scotland’s farmers from 2025. “Right now, we have no idea what Labour or the UK government might do,” he said.
Scottish Environment Link – an organisation representing environmental interests with more than 40 member bodies – said the Scottish Government’s plans largely maintained the status quo.
Eleanor Kay, senior policy adviser for agriculture and climate change at Scottish Land & Estates, said: “The First Minister has set out the allocation of future funding and this will increase the sector’s confidence to some degree.
“However, we have repeatedly made the case for impact assessments and modelling data to be produced by government to explain the rationale for such changes and examine how changes to funding will have an effect. We still need to see this produced.””
News Related
-
Asylum seekers travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP) Up to 40 Conservative MPs are poised to rebel over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation policy as they question ministers’ commitment to the scheme. A major row is ...
See Details:
Up to 40 Tory MPs ‘set to rebel’ if Sunak’s Rwanda plan doesn’t override ECHR
-
In the saltmarsh fringing where the Ballyboe River dissolves into Trawbreaga Bay, a little egret wears its plumage like a windblown stole. Our car swoops across the 10 arches of Malin bridge and we park along the village green. Malin is almost as far north as you can get on ...
See Details:
Country diary: A tale of three churches
-
Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/EPA Hampton Court is an enduring monument to the power of Henry VIII, a pleasure palace down the Thames from Westminster and the City of London. On Monday it was the scene of power projection of a different kind, as Rishi Sunak pitched for investment from some of ...
See Details:
Sunak woos business elite with royal welcome – but they seek certainty
-
-
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to bring an overseas defender to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report. Postecoglou’s centre-back options The Lilywhites currently have Micky Van De Ven, Ashley Phillips, Cristian Romero and Eric ...
See Details:
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January
-
A £100m campaign urging households and businesses to use less water will be funded from customers’ bills, Ofwat has said. Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign The regulator’s chief executive David Black told MPs that if the measures worked it would be cheaper than building ...
See Details:
Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign
-
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Group B – Canada Training – Olympic Park, Melbourne, Australia – July 24, 2023 Canada’s Christine Sinclair during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo (Reuters) – BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be renamed “Christine Sinclair ...
See Details:
Soccer-Venue renamed 'Christine Sinclair Place' for Canada soccer great's final game
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Phil Taylor makes his pick for 2024 World Darts Championship winner
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Soccer-Howe aims to boost Newcastle's momentum in PSG clash
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Hamilton heads for hibernation with a word of warning
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich after 1-10 start to the season
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
This exercise is critical for golfers. 4 tips to doing it right
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
One in three households with children 'will struggle to afford Christmas'
-
OTHER NEWS
Kobbie Mainoo made his first start for Man Utd at Everton (Photo: Getty) The Football Association are reportedly confident that Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo will choose to represent England ...
Read more »
Michael Smith will begin the defence of his world title on the opening night (Picture: Getty Images) The 2024 World Darts Championship is less than three weeks away and the ...
Read more »
For the first time a long haul commercial aircraft is flying across the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A long haul commercial flight is flying to the US ...
Read more »
The King has met business and finance leaders from across the world at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the conclusion of the UK’s Global Investment Summit. Charles was introduced ...
Read more »
After Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan Saturday, many college football fans were wondering where Lou Holtz was. In his postgame interview after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 17-14 in ...
Read more »
Darius Slay wouldn’t have minded being penalized on controversial no-call No matter which team you were rooting for on Sunday, we can all agree that the officiating job performed by ...
Read more »
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) Quarterback Mac Jones remains committed to finding success with the New England Patriots even though his future is up in the air following ...
Read more »