Meeting of the Parliament 19 November 2024
Not at the moment, as I need to make some progress.
What has been allocated—£620 million—is wholly inadequate. That sum fails to account for inflationary pressures since 2018, when it was calculated; fails to acknowledge the potential of Scotland’s land to help to feed the nation and deliver for climate and nature; and fails to respect devolution and rural Scotland, by imposing a settled sum instead of working in partnership on outcomes that are shared.
Previously, Scotland received 17 per cent of what was common agricultural policy funding in the UK, and that continued through the years 2021 to 2024. It was from that share that the figure of £620 million was reached, back in 2018. Not only has that sum failed to account for inflation, but the share itself failed to account for the potential of our land. It is a missed opportunity to recognise the potential and contribute to goals that we share across nations.
Work from some, including RSPB Scotland, made the case for Scotland to receive at least 23 per cent of the total land-based spend across the UK that contributes to food, nature and climate outcomes. It is obvious that the settlement continues to penalise rural Scotland by failing to reverse the real-terms cuts of previous years.
Any move to break the link between the area of land that is farmed and funding increases for Scotland ignores our on-going commitment to active farming and direct payments, and risks our efforts to transform our industry for the future. The Barnett formula simply fails to account for Scotland’s unique relationship with the land and the significant contribution that our farmers and crofters make to our nation, and especially to our rural economy.