With planting of 2016 crops starting shortly for some, NFU Scotland is urging the Scottish Government to publicise its plans for progressing simplification as part of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).
Hopes for change began with European Union Agricultural Commissioner Phil Hogan intervening in January, to ask for suggestions for changes to the BPS that would be helpful, without undermining the aims of the Common Agricultural Policy reform.
In February, NFU Scotland submitted a detailed list of suggested changes – which it believed met Commissioner Hogan’s criteria. The Union discussed a number of those with the Commissioner when he visited Scotland in late June.
Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead has publicly supported the drive for simplification and we understand that he also discussed the issue with Commissioner Hogan. However, five months after the end of the Scottish Government’s consultation farmers have not been told what the Scottish Government is doing to progress simplification. Now the Union is pushing for information as the planting of crops for next year begin in the coming weeks.
NFU Scotland Combinable Crops Committee Chairman, Ian Sands said:
“We understand that the Scottish Government has been faced with major challenges in implementing the new CAP and it is vital that support payments should be made as early as possible in December. However, just as farmers have to plan for the year ahead while dealing with this year’s crop, the Scottish Government needs to be looking towards next year too – and keeping farmers informed.
“We welcome the Cabinet Secretary’s public support for simplification, however a number of the issues causing problems for arable farmers this year have been caused by the gold-plating of the Scottish Government’s requirements, or the Scottish Government’s decision to not take advantage of options that would have made things simpler both for farmers and Scottish Government staff too.
“Farmers are currently harvesting and ploughing fields for the next crop. Planting of oilseed rape will begin in just two weeks’ time, yet if there are to be changes for 2016 they have not been told what those will be.
“Farmers across the country need to know what the Scottish Government is doing to progress the list of changes the Union suggested in February as well as any others that we aren’t aware of.”
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