Permanent grassland greening rules ‘meaningless paper exercise’

NFU Scotland is pressing Scottish Government to strip out gold-plating from within Scotland’s greening rules and remove the competitive disadvantage faced by our farmers and crofters.

While the Brexit vote will inevitably lead to different arrangements for Scottish agriculture in the future, in the interim period, the Union will continue to press the Scottish Government to deliver a CAP support package that works in the interests of Scottish agriculture.

Last week, the Union called on Scottish Government to remove a significant number of Scotland-only greening rules that place our growers at a competitive disadvantage.

For livestock producers, Scottish Government gold-plating has also introduced nutrient recording requirements on permanent grassland that go above and beyond European rules.

To qualify for the greening element of their support payments, Scottish farmers and crofters must maintain a record of their intended applications of inorganic nitrogen fertiliser and lime on their fields of permanent grass, something NFU Scotland maintains is little more than a meaningless, paper exercise.

In writing to Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy Fergus Ewing, NFU Scotland President Allan Bowie said: “We are firmly of the view that the requirement for support claimants to have a record of intended nitrogen and lime applications to all their fields of permanent grassland is no more than another compliance trip wire, with no positive environmental outcome.  

“It goes above and beyond the EU's greening requirements for permanent grassland, and marks a level of gold plating that is found nowhere else in the UK.  If we are seeking more efficient input use, this is the last way it should be done.

“The fact that this requirement will also apply to those already carrying out full soil testing and recommended nutrient management plans, plus those that must adhere to the stringent requirements of Scotland’s Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) Action Plan, underlines that this is no more than a paper exercise.

“The reality is that there are much smarter ways to encourage more efficient input use – beneficial for both farm businesses and the environment.  Targeted incentives and tailored advice, as NFU Scotland has always asserted, is the way to get farmers to adopt new and best practice.

“Scottish Government’s greening requirements, in relation to permanent grassland, add more unnecessary bureaucracy, for claimant and administrator alike, without adding an iota of environmental gain.

“Given the uncertainty that lies ahead, Scotland’s farmers and crofters deserve to get the best deal from greening measures and Scottish Government must use this opportunity to strip out all of its own gold-plating.  

“That would make the years ahead where we continue to operate within the CAP more manageable and efficient for our farmers while still delivering meaningful environmental benefits.”  

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Contact Bob Carruth on 0131 472 4006