Chamber
Plenary, 03 Oct 2001
03 Oct 2001 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
“A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture”
I declare an interest in the development of the organic food and farming targets bill, which is currently in the expert hands of the non-Executive bills unit—it may be there for some time.
When the intention to produce a strategy for agriculture was announced, I thought that I might withdraw the organics bill if the Executive came up with strong proposals to support and develop organic farming. Unfortunately for organic food producers and farmers, the Scottish economy, the Scottish people and the 38 members who signed the original proposal for an organic food and farming targets bill, that was not to be. What appears to be lacking in the forward strategy, and in the ensuing debate, is an appreciation of exactly where organic farming practice might fit in and help make real the vision as outlined in the introduction to the strategy document.
Unfortunately, the forward strategy does not identify any new, specific Executive support for organic farming. That is despite the fact that a recent major study on the development of organic farming in Europe has shown that only a balance of market-driven pull and Government-driven push policies will work if the sector is to be developed.
My main worry is that organic agriculture is not properly understood, as it is sometimes naively perceived to be "farming without chemicals". However, organics takes a holistic view of our place in the environment and of how we sustain it, and is made up of just the kind of theories and practices that we should be looking at seriously. Organic agriculture is a forward-looking, modern research-driven approach—although we need a lot more money for research. It incorporates the sort of joined-up practice that the forward strategy subscribes to, but fails to deliver. Organics categorically must not be seen as a niche market for the better-off sections of the community. Every person has the right to good health through a healthy diet and to contribute to and benefit from a healthy environment. Organic agriculture and the concepts behind it, which address the whole food chain, must be supported and encouraged.
It is of great concern that Scottish farmers will soon be at a competitive disadvantage to farmers from 11 other countries in Europe that have action plans and targets for organic farming. Wales has an action plan, Northern Ireland is developing one and England may have one soon. There is a real prospect that Scotland could be isolated in Europe and even in the UK as a result of its lack of support for organics.
Furthermore, it is important that the minister's working parties on the future of agriculture and the environment expand their horizons and seek greater input from those with knowledge of what organic farming could contribute. I do not oppose today's motion, but the strategy needs to be rethought as far as organic agriculture is concerned. I would appreciate the support of the many colleagues who signed the organic targets bill proposal and look forward to their assistance in taking that bill through the Parliament in due course.
I remind the minister that he mentioned, as targets, "shortening the supply chain", "improving quality production" and looking for "solutions that are good for the environment" and "higher levels of biodiversity". Organic farming delivers all those targets better than anything else that I can think of, yet there are no specific proposals in the strategy document.
I view with great concern the proposal to take away the restrictions on the development of prime agricultural land. Will the minister concede that if we start to develop more prime agricultural land the consequence will be greater intensification of farming on what is left? Of course, the consolation would be that only organics would be able to provide the improvements in soil quality on poorer quality land to make up for the prime quality land that the minister intends to dispose of for building and industry.
When the intention to produce a strategy for agriculture was announced, I thought that I might withdraw the organics bill if the Executive came up with strong proposals to support and develop organic farming. Unfortunately for organic food producers and farmers, the Scottish economy, the Scottish people and the 38 members who signed the original proposal for an organic food and farming targets bill, that was not to be. What appears to be lacking in the forward strategy, and in the ensuing debate, is an appreciation of exactly where organic farming practice might fit in and help make real the vision as outlined in the introduction to the strategy document.
Unfortunately, the forward strategy does not identify any new, specific Executive support for organic farming. That is despite the fact that a recent major study on the development of organic farming in Europe has shown that only a balance of market-driven pull and Government-driven push policies will work if the sector is to be developed.
My main worry is that organic agriculture is not properly understood, as it is sometimes naively perceived to be "farming without chemicals". However, organics takes a holistic view of our place in the environment and of how we sustain it, and is made up of just the kind of theories and practices that we should be looking at seriously. Organic agriculture is a forward-looking, modern research-driven approach—although we need a lot more money for research. It incorporates the sort of joined-up practice that the forward strategy subscribes to, but fails to deliver. Organics categorically must not be seen as a niche market for the better-off sections of the community. Every person has the right to good health through a healthy diet and to contribute to and benefit from a healthy environment. Organic agriculture and the concepts behind it, which address the whole food chain, must be supported and encouraged.
It is of great concern that Scottish farmers will soon be at a competitive disadvantage to farmers from 11 other countries in Europe that have action plans and targets for organic farming. Wales has an action plan, Northern Ireland is developing one and England may have one soon. There is a real prospect that Scotland could be isolated in Europe and even in the UK as a result of its lack of support for organics.
Furthermore, it is important that the minister's working parties on the future of agriculture and the environment expand their horizons and seek greater input from those with knowledge of what organic farming could contribute. I do not oppose today's motion, but the strategy needs to be rethought as far as organic agriculture is concerned. I would appreciate the support of the many colleagues who signed the organic targets bill proposal and look forward to their assistance in taking that bill through the Parliament in due course.
I remind the minister that he mentioned, as targets, "shortening the supply chain", "improving quality production" and looking for "solutions that are good for the environment" and "higher levels of biodiversity". Organic farming delivers all those targets better than anything else that I can think of, yet there are no specific proposals in the strategy document.
I view with great concern the proposal to take away the restrictions on the development of prime agricultural land. Will the minister concede that if we start to develop more prime agricultural land the consequence will be greater intensification of farming on what is left? Of course, the consolation would be that only organics would be able to provide the improvements in soil quality on poorer quality land to make up for the prime quality land that the minister intends to dispose of for building and industry.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel):
NPA
Our next item of business is the debate on motion S1M-2278, in the name of Ross Finnie, on "A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture", and two amendments ...
The Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Ross Finnie):
LD
Members will be aware that in our policy statement "Working together for Scotland: A Programme for Government", the Executive committed itself to placing rur...
Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD):
LD
Does the minister accept that, when considering a long-term strategy, many organisations and farming and croft businesses have made repeated points about the...
Ross Finnie:
LD
The point that Tavish Scott makes about LFAs is valid. The problem is not just LFAs—there are a number of acute short-term problems. As I have made clear, th...
Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con):
Con
Will land management contracts, as envisaged in the document, be open to all farms and all farm businesses, regardless of size?
Ross Finnie:
LD
Indeed. We have still to develop the detail. Ideally, however, not only will land management contracts be open to all farm types but, if Europe is minded—as ...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
Again, I remind members who would like to take part in the debate to press their request-to-speak buttons.
Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP):
SNP
We warmly welcome the opportunity to debate the forward strategy for Scottish agriculture. The Rural Development Committee has taken a great deal of evidence...
Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD):
LD
There was not one.
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
Those seats used to be Labour seats—one is never sure.I remind Mr Rumbles and other members that the foot-and-mouth crisis earlier this year was dealt with b...
Mr Rumbles:
LD
Will the member give way?
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
I have hardly started so I will give way later.The strategy document has been summarised by one of the commentators as being encapsulated in the following id...
Ross Finnie:
LD
Will the member give way?
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
I will give way in a minute, certainly.In a strategy document on agriculture, surely we would expect a clear statement of the number of people working in agr...
Ross Finnie:
LD
I find the member's line of attack extraordinary. Surely he is not suggesting that it is helpful to members to publish the strategy and then also to publish ...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
I repeat that there is no projection in the strategy of where we expect to be after the strategy has been implemented. How many farmers will be left in Scotl...
Mr Rumbles:
LD
I was trying to intervene earlier because I believe that Fergus Ewing's amendment—and the minister referred to this earlier—is very negative, as is his speec...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
Has Mike Rumbles finished? I do not know whether I should take that point seriously. I am not sure whether it is worth while.When we develop our strategy, we...
Ross Finnie:
LD
I did not hear Donald MacRae's evidence, but this criticism seems extraordinary as one of the first things that we did when we embarked on the exercise was t...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
I do not know what work the minister has been doing behind the scenes, but I know that it has not found its way into the document. The document has not been ...
Alex Fergusson rose—
Con
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
Before I take the intervention, I will ask one question. Where in the document is there any recognition that this Parliament should be making such schemes fa...
Alex Fergusson:
Con
Although the debate over whether there should be a ceiling on such grant schemes is for another occasion, does Fergus Ewing accept the principle that no sche...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
One of the criteria for such schemes should be the applicant's financial standing. I did not say that people should be excluded. Regard should also be paid t...
Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD):
LD
Will the member give way?
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
In a second. If that safety net is reduced to 50 per cent, what is the future for crofters and small farmers? The basic question that the strategy document d...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
Can you do so in 10 seconds?
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
Although we support such contracts in principle, we have severe reservations about them in practice. Above all, farmers might feel that they form a new burea...
Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con):
Con
In rising to propose the Conservatives' amendment to the Executive's motion, I draw members' attention to my entry in the register of interests, which sugges...
Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP):
SNP
Given the litany of criticisms of the Executive, I wonder why Mr Fergusson has lodged such a tepid amendment. If all the issues that he is addressing are so ...