Rural Community Gateway

Richard Lochhead MSP recently announced funding plans for the Scottish Rural Development Programme, as reported in the Gateway article Scottish Rural Development Programme funding plans announced.

What was the reaction to the announcement? You can read a round up of responses from various organisations below.

Green Party

Green MSP Robin Harper said: "I welcome these limited additional funds, but they are still far short of an ambitious shift from intensive agriculture to wider organic and environmentally friendly farming activities. The rural economy must be given the necessary funding support to change from business-as-usual to a sustainable future. Although the new Minister has gone further than his Labour and Libdem predecessors, we will be watching closely to see if all the farmers and applicants for support who were rejected in previous years due to a shortage of money, will continue to be rejected."

Labour

Speaking during the Parliamentary debate Rhona Brankin MSP said, "The SRDP is a disgrace. Stakeholders worked constructively with the previous Executive over the past two years. They were led to believe that there was likely to be a staged increase of up to 15 per cent in voluntary modulation, but they have been let down badly . . . "The hallmark of the Government's approach to the matter is a failure to take tough decisions on our environment and countryside —decisions that many crofters, farmers and land managers want it to take. The hallmark of its approach seems to be to brief tough on the environment but fail to deliver.

"The Scottish rural development programme is the biggest opportunity to make a lasting difference to rural areas in Scotland and fulfil our environmental obligations, but the Government has failed at the first hurdle."

Liberal Democrats

Scottish Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary Mike Rumbles MSP said: "The Scottish Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has failed to obtain cabinet support for proper funding of the rural development programme.

"He has been forced almost to double the hit on our farmers to pay for this programme.

"He might have listened to rural communities, but he has failed to act on their advice."

NFU Scotland

Reacting to the announcement, NFU Scotland President Jim McLaren said: "We have made it very clear to the new Scottish Executive that we expected a rural development programme that will meet the needs of Scotland's farming businesses and rural communities.  Our calculations showed that this could be achieved without swingeing increases in the rate of voluntary modulation, which would have undermined the viability of individual businesses.  While the eventual rates of voluntary modulation will be higher than the current 5%, which we believe could still have delivered a meaningful programme, they average out at 8% over the period up until 2013 and are boosted by a significant increase in Scottish Executive funding to £1,113m, compared to £552m in the previous programme.

"At this time the thing that farmers need most of all is stability. That is why we have been impressing on the Scottish Executive the need to keep modulation rates to the absolute minimum required.  While an average modulation rate of 8% will put pressure on farm incomes, the programme includes a number of measures, such as farm restructuring, co-operation and animal health and welfare, that will help businesses adapt to the last CAP reform by cutting costs and adding value to what they produce.  We also welcome the inclusion of a young farmers scheme, which will help bring new blood into the industry. Additional funding will allow more farmers and crofters into agri-environmnent schemes and the continuing commitment to supporting the Less Favoured Areas has addressed our top priority."

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

Norman MacAskill Rural Policy Manager at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations said, "We favoured a higher rate of voluntary modulation to fund an expansive and innovative Rural Development Programme for the benefit of all Scotland’s rural communities. But we accept that the decision has been made, and we are keen to work with the new Cabinet Secretary to make sure that the benefits of the SRDP's limited budget extend beyond the farm gate and allow for serious investment in communities including an effective LEADER programme and a new Village Halls Fund."

Scottish Countryside Alliance

Scottish Countryside Alliance Chief Executive Tony Andrews said, "At last the log-jam is broken and rural businesses and communities can see where much needed support funding will come from over the coming years.

"The new ‘voluntary’ modulation rates will, we hope, be able to deliver much needed funding to agric-environment schemes and diversification schemes without stripping too much away from core business support.

"Schemes such as the Single Farm Payment need adequate funding if they are to help to keep people living and working in the countryside and maintaining our cherished landscapes."

The £10m funding package for a new-entrants scheme is also welcome news.

Tony Andrews added, "Farming is an ageing industry, but there is lots of young talent out there desperate to take their first step onto the farming ladder. A scheme which will help older farmers retire, and give new young farmers the start they need is great news for our countryside."

Scottish Crofting Foundation

Scottish Crofting Foundation Chairman Norman Leask said, "We are supportive of a steady approach to voluntary modulation, at least until we can see how the new programme works out.  The rate of modulation is obviously closely connected with the accessibility of schemes and support among crofters for modulation will depend on how easy it is for small units to access the measures available through the new Programme.  Many environmentally well-managed areas have struggled to access agri-environment support in recent years and although lower than expected levels of modulation are likely to be welcomed in crofting areas, we are also aware of the need to ensure that there is adequate funding to protect good environmentally-sound land management.  We commend the Cabinet Secretary’s approach of reviewing the programme mid-term to ensure that these objectives are being met. 

"We are glad to see a continuing commitment to funding Less Favoured Area support - the need to target this funding well to ensure it is effective in island, hill and remote mainland areas has already been recognised and we will be pursing this with the new Executive." 

Scottish Rural Property and Business Association

Keith Arbuthnott, Chairman, SRPBA, commented: "Today¹s announcement by the Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead of funding for the Scottish Rural Development Programme 2007 - 13 is welcomed by the SRPBA. Voluntary modulation from the Single Farm Payment provides a substantial proportion of this funding package for wider rural development. It is vital therefore that the farmers who sacrifice between 11 and 16 per cent of their SFP (including the compulsory EU modulation element) must have access to the new funding measures which will increase the competitiveness of their businesses as well as contributing to wider social and environmental objectives.

"Public funding for rural development provides good value for money high quality locally produced food, contribution to renewable energy targets, environmentally friendly management practices and diversification of the rural economy are all delivered through this mechanism.

"We should also not lose sight of the fact that the funding package announced today is substantially supplemented from the pockets of the rural businesses in receipt of it  and who are investing in the future economic well-being of rural Scotland.

"A young entrants scheme is particularly welcome and along with other rural organisations, we look forward to discussions with the Executive on the detail of this scheme."

RSPB

Mandy Gloyer, Head of Land Use Policy for RSPB Scotland, said: "The £1.59 billion of Scottish Rural Development Programme funding presented today for the next seven years is disappointing.  It is likely to place the Executive's own environmental targets at a very real risk of failure.  What's more, it will do nothing to improve the status quo, where Scotland's farmers and crofters receive nowhere near the amount of agri-environment funding as their UK and European counterparts do. Scotland's agri-environment programme is the worst funded, in relation to area of farmed land, of the entire EU. Only a proper commitment to fully fund this rural development programme would have remedied this, and that commitment has not been demonstrated today.

"The true cost of the programme is far higher than the funding package suggests, if its agreed objectives of conserving biodiversity, tackling climate change and improving water quality are to be met. These crucial programme objectives were agreed between government and stakeholders, including industry representatives and environmental bodies.

"Sotland is already failing to meeting condition targets for Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Natura 2000 sites, which are the jewels in the crown of our most important wildlife habitats, and this shortfall risks worsening that situation.

"RSPB Scotland and other members of Scottish Environment Link are meeting with the Executive's Environment Minister Michael Russell later today, and we welcome the fact that the new administration recognises the need to establish an ongoing dialogue to meet the concerns of environment and conservation bodies."

What do you think?

Let us know what you think of the funding plans, or any of the responses, by adding a comment to this article.

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