Convener welcomes CAP plans

The convener of Orkney Islands Council has welcomed the Scottish Government’s plans for implementing the reformed Common Agricultural Policy.

Councillor Steven Heddle said: “As a council we have been lobbying and working constantly alongside our rural communities to ensure that the CAP reforms were fit for purpose for our islands.  Too often policies are applied on a ‘one size fits all basis’ and in this case that would have been neither acceptable or appropriate, when you consider the very specific agricultural challenges that we face as an island group.

“The NFU and Scottish Agricultural College have worked in partnership with us to highlight to the Cabinet Secretary potential negative impacts  that the original proposals would inevitably have had, to the significant detriment of agricultural producers and the wider Orkney economy.

“We are grateful therefore that the Cabinet Secretary and his officials have recognised our joint submission and that they have responded so positively to some of the requests that we presented to them with industry representatives at a meeting in Edinburgh on April 30.

“In particular, we welcome the move to introduce an enhanced coupled payment for island-born calves, the new investment in the beef sector, support for New Entrants, future support being directed towards active farming, and the gradual introduction of the new area-based payments.

“Whilst the most intensive beef farmers in Orkney will still see their support reducing, others will benefit from the new measures. Under the new structure, Scottish Government analysis suggests that in cash terms, net aggregate direct support payable to Orkney farmers by 2019 will be maintained at the same level as it was in 2011, which is a very welcome outcome indeed.”