Meeting of the Parliament 19 November 2024
Sorry, no. I need to make some progress.
As we know, actions speak louder than words, and I am proud of the work that we do to support Scotland’s farm, croft and land businesses. Our 2024 payment strategy is on track, with basic payments and greening payments starting in September this year, as planned. More than 16,000 businesses have received more than £388 million to date, which represents 95 per cent of businesses and 93 per cent of anticipated expenditure. Payments from those schemes continue, and less favoured area support payments are on track to start issuing from December.
The Rural Development (Continuation of Operation) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 have now been approved by the Scottish Parliament and will allow payments to be made under legacy support schemes that range from the agri-environment climate scheme to the forestry grant scheme and crofting support. Extending those schemes will ensure that there are no cliff edges in support and that there is a just transition that is in line with our route map. That appears not to be what is happening in England, with arbitrary reductions made to current payments and huge delays in processing claims for the new environmental scheme funds. All in all, the first Labour budget is a boorach for rural businesses and communities all over the UK.
In contrast, I and my ministerial colleagues will continue to champion and fight for our rural communities. We will continue to press the UK Government to review and roll back its proposals on inheritance tax and to engage with rural communities and devolved Governments. We will carry on making the case for Scotland to get a fair share of future funding and for our commitment to the land and food production to be recognised in funding allocations, including budget uplifts. We will argue for multiyear funding to give Scotland’s farmers the same certainty as Ireland’s. We will demand reimbursement for all the rural employers who simply will not be able to afford the hike in national insurance contributions. We will keep making it clear to Labour that it is not too late to change its mind and its approach to taxation and funding for rural businesses in Scotland and everywhere else in the UK.
I move,
That the Parliament is disappointed that the Chancellor of the Exchequer chose not to work with the Scottish Government before her Budget on 30 October 2024, nor to consult with farmers, crofters and other rural stakeholders about the Budget’s effects on Scotland’s rural economy, including breaking the vital link between funding for Scotland’s farmers and its land mass, and the changes to agricultural property relief, which will affect succession planning in farms throughout Scotland; is concerned at the apparent failure of the UK Government to fully assess the impacts of those budget changes on Scotland’s rural economy or to publish any such assessments, and calls on the UK Government to urgently do so.