NFU Scotland has welcomed statements on CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) simplification, made earlier this week by Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan, as the first steps towards a more workable system, but says more remains to be done.
The comments come following a meeting in Brussels between EU Agriculture Ministers where a list of priority actions that could help to ease the burden of the new rules for 2015 was agreed.
Included in the list is the Commission's intention to allow member states to only map declared Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) rather than all potential EFAs. This will reduce a huge burden on the Scottish Government, a move strongly supported by NFUS as a precursor to opening up new EFA options in the future.
The Union believes strongly that it would be extremely unfair for payments to be withheld from those farmers who have done their best to comply when rules were either unclear or not provided in the first place.
NFUS recognises that the focus on greening is necessary at this stage, but says simplification must not stop there.
The Union accepts that some complexity has been necessary to provide flexibility to tailor the CAP to Scottish conditions but says that when options for simplification are offered they should be seized by the Scottish Government, as this will help to reduce the potential for mistakes.
NFUS chief executive Scott Walker commented: "We will be working hard to make sure no farmer, who has attempted to deliver greening under the guidelines that so far have been given loses out. We need strong recognition from the Government that it will adopt that approach.
"The Scottish Government needs to accept that it has added complexity too, for example by its refusal to use EFA conversion factors that would have greatly simplified measuring some features, and by its gold-plating of rules on Nitrogen Fixing Crops. It must avoid any further gold-plating, including on permanent pasture.
"For Scotland we need a further package of simplification actions to cover not just greening, but also the voluntary coupled support schemes, aspects of the administration and control system, cross-compliance requirements and penalties, and for changes to be in place as quickly as possible."
Market round-up
United Auctions sold 652 store heifers at Stirling on Wednesday to a top 306.7p per kg and an average of 226.5p (-1.2p on the week), while 856 store, beef-bred bullocks peaked at 323.1p and levelled at 236.6p (-2.7p). Sixty-seven store, B&W bullocks sold to 197.2p and averaged 168.6p (-7.2p), while 154 store bulls peaked at 248.3p and levelled at 186.3p.
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