The president of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) Scotland has called on policy makers to “take their head out of the sand”, listen hard and deliver viable support for the industry, which he argued has a critical role to play in the nation's green recovery.
Delivering his first address to NFU Scotland’s annual conference since being elected last February, Martin Kennedy made it clear that Scotland’s agricultural sector has never been under so much pressure.
Scotland’s farmers, crofters and producers are facing escalating input costs, labour shortages, climate change, imbalanced supply chains, unscrutinised trade deals, and continued uncertainty around future policy and support.
In addition, the sector is dealing with ongoing concerns from issues such as slurry storage rules, land reform, rural crime, species management, on top of problems with utility companies, access rights, plastics, carbon credits and large-scale forestry expansion.
In his speech, Kennedy highlighted the strength of the union and how its lobbying powers had never been more needed, claiming that poor decisions are being taken within both UK and Scottish Governments, the EU and globally, by people who have no real understanding of the consequences their actions have on the livelihoods of NFU Scotland’s members, the environment and the makeup of rural communities.
Saying ‘one size does not fit all’ he stated: “Our voice needs to be heard, not only because it’s in our best interest, but it’s also in the best interest of our consumers and our economy.”
To tackle these key challenges, Kennedy explained that the union is focusing its lobbying efforts over the next two years on eight strategic priorities: future support, rural economy, optimal land use, climate change, public engagement, effective conservation, fairer supply chains and better regulation.
He accepted that the landscape - both on the ground and politically - can change quickly in agriculture so these goals may well shift and adapt to current situations.
“At every opportunity what we must do is highlight the true value of domestic food and drink production in terms of health, climate change, the environment and the economy,” he said.
In an impassioned address, Kennedy detailed the labour crisis and steps in place to encourage a full work force, good education and employment opportunities.
He called for global collaboration within the beef sector to ensure methane emissions are measured consistently, and reflected on the crisis the Scottish pig and poultry farmers have been experiencing.
Kennedy concluded: “In Scotland, we have a fantastic opportunity to create a future policy and support structure that focuses on the positives of what we are providing.
“However, we also have to be mindful that we have an Internal Market Act and a Subsidy Control Bill that may limit what we need to do to fit Scotland’s needs. ”
Specifically on future policy and support, he added: “There is still a lot of work for the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board to oversee and implement, but I am confident the Cabinet Secretary will announce at our conference tomorrow some of the progress that has been made and allude to future developments that will be in our interest in the near future.”
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