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Public Petitions Committee 08 March 2011

08 Mar 2011 · S3 · Public Petitions Committee

Item of business

Current Petitions

Dairy Farmers (Human Rights) (PE1263)

Lochhead, Richard SNP Moray Watch on SPTV

I think that I heard you say that this was the last meeting of the committee this session, convener, which means that it is your last meeting of any committee of the Parliament, so I wish you all the best for the future in your personal capacity. I am grateful for the opportunity to come along and say a few words today.In response to Jamie McGrigor’s questions, I remind the committee that, following deregulation, Scotland was the only part of the United Kingdom to introduce milk quota ring-fence arrangements, which it did in four parts of the country in April 1993. That ring fence was applied to maintain milk production in peripheral areas, to help to ensure a supply of milk to the remote dairy enterprises. The ring-fence provisions are designed to provide continuity of milk production in that part of rural Scotland, to ensure that local creameries have access to a sufficient volume of raw milk to stay in production.14:15 I will come on to Jamie McGrigor’s first two questions but, in response to the third one, about whether I am aware that farmers in the southern islands who are covered by this particular ring fence believe that ring fencing is detrimental, I have to say that I am not really aware of that, because my understanding is that over the past years—going back to 1994, when this was introduced—the many stakeholders and farmers involved have supported ring fencing. I know that that is not the petitioners’ position but the National Farmers Union of Scotland’s position and that of other farmers in the ring-fenced areas was that they supported the approach as a means of ensuring that local creameries were viable and of working together to ensure that that was the case.On Jamie McGrigor’s first question on advice, the committee will be aware that, as has always been the position under devolution, ministers will not give any indication of whether they have taken advice or what the advice was. Of course, we take policy advice and we reach our own policy decisions, but according to convention we do not venture into legal advice, for very good reasons.Finally, on farmers not being consulted when ring fencing was applied, I have been the minister for only four years so I cannot go back to 1994 when this was introduced; I can only reiterate that when the ring fencing of milk quotas in this part of the country was introduced for what were seen as very good reasons—which I have outlined—it had widespread support because it ensured that milk producers in peripheral areas of Scotland were working together and ensured the viability of local creameries, in this case the Campbeltown creamery and the Arran creamery, which are still operational.

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Public Petitions Committee 08 March 2011

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