Support for islands call in CAP changes

Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has urged the Rural Affairs Secretary, Richard Lochhead, to commit to specific support for island areas under the reformed CAP regime.

Speaking during a parliamentary debate on CAP reform yesterday, Mr McArthur urged Mr Lochhead to confirm that islands, such as Orkney, would be designated as Areas of Natural Constraint under the new scheme from 2018.

Commenting after the debate, Mr McArthur said: “LFASS funding is of vital importance to farmers and crofters in Orkney. I therefore welcome the fact that transitional arrangements are being put in place to safeguard this funding in the short term, but longer term certainty from the Scottish Government is also required.

“Unfortunately, while Mr Lochhead acknowledged the significance of this issue to the sector in Orkney, he conspicuously avoided making any commitment about what would happen post-2018. I specifically asked whether islands would be designated as Areas of Natural Constraint, but received only an assurance that this was under consideration.”