Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 09 March 2016 [Draft]
09 Mar 2016 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Rural Payments
What we have here is a motion that starts to discuss the problem that we face. Alex Fergusson’s motion
“notes that Scottish farm income has fallen by 15% over the past year, which is only the second time this century when incomes have fallen in two consecutive years”.
That issue is being conflated with the issue of CAP payments.
For a start, I will dwell on the first issue. In my experience in this Parliament we have been held to ransom by the UK Government, which failed to put in place a competition commission through which we can hold the supermarkets and the middlemen to account. Christine Tacon, the groceries code adjudicator, does not have the powers to intervene on behalf of producers.
The Labour Party, the Liberals and Tories, and the Tories to follow them each failed to take the farmers’ side and make sure that our people get decent prices for their products. As far as I am concerned, that is right at the heart of the problem that Scottish agriculture faces just now.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-15844, in the name of Alex Fergusson, on rural affairs. I invite members who wish to speak in the debate ...
Alex Fergusson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Con
Thank you, Presiding Officer. Well, what a difference a well-timed Scottish Conservative debate and an impending election can make. Interruption. It is a l...
Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member give way?
Alex Fergusson
Con
I will later, if I have time. How to best mitigate the most damaging impact of the reforms had been the subject of intense discussion, debate and consultat...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy (John Swinney)
SNP
Will Mr Fergusson specify the bits of the arrangements that were put in place and approved by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment t...
Alex Fergusson
Con
I am coming to that, because we do not need to look any further than the new information technology system that the cabinet secretary commissioned to operate...
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment (Richard Lochhead)
SNP
If the findings of that esteemed report on the importance of direct payments to farmers in Scotland are as relevant today as they were many years ago, why di...
Alex Fergusson
Con
The cabinet secretary will be aware that we are in Scotland now and dealing with—
Richard Lochhead
SNP
Ask for powers to be devolved, then.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Order.
Alex Fergusson
Con
The cabinet secretary cannot just deflect criticism of his handling of the system by looking at the UK Government. He knows full well that my party will supp...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
I call the cabinet secretary, Mr Lochhead, to speak to and move amendment S4M-15844.3. Cabinet secretary, you have 10 minutes—we are tight for time today. 1...
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment (Richard Lochhead)
SNP
I very much welcome the opportunity to debate what is an important subject for rural Scotland—and the whole country—and to discuss the implementation of the ...
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
In light of the cabinet secretary’s point about the seven-month payment timetable, will he confirm that every crofter and farmer across Scotland will receive...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
That is absolutely our determination, because we want to avoid fines from Europe. If we do not have 95 per cent of payments made by 30 June, we are potential...
Alex Fergusson
Con
Does the cabinet secretary think that, had we had better weather and better prices, the shambles of the IT system would have been more acceptable? Laughter.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Order.
Richard Lochhead
SNP
If Mr Fergusson speaks to any farmer or crofter in Scotland, they will tell him that those are serious issues that have affected their cash flows. He might f...
Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
We certainly welcome yesterday’s announcement of a £200 million funding package, however late in the day it was, but it is vital for lessons to have been lea...
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
I, too, welcome the £200 million fund that the Scottish Government announced last night, which is to be spent on crofters and farm businesses across the coun...
Christian Allard
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Tavish Scott
LD
No. Questions remain, and they are big questions. Can the Scottish Government guarantee that the £200 million will reach farmers and crofters before the end...
Christian Allard
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Tavish Scott
LD
I want to make some progress. Interruption. If Mr Swinney wants to stand up and answer the questions that I have asked, I would be quite delighted to give wa...
Rob Gibson (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP)
SNP
To try to put some perspective on what has been going on, we should consider a couple of quotations. Today, the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association produced ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Order.
Rob Gibson
SNP
What we have here is a motion that starts to discuss the problem that we face. Alex Fergusson’s motion “notes that Scottish farm income has fallen by 15% ov...
Jim Hume (South Scotland) (LD)
LD
It was the Liberals who introduced the groceries code adjudicator when in Government down south and who are calling for the groceries code adjudicator to hav...
Rob Gibson
SNP
Well, we are awaiting that with great interest. In the meantime, because our farmers have less support and are getting lower commodity prices, they failed t...
Sarah Boyack
Lab
Will the member take an intervention?