Agriculture must be enabled to play its role in Covid-19 recovery

NFU Scotland is looking to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to show a clear commitment to supporting Scottish agriculture when he makes his spending review announcement tomorrow.

NFU Scotland accepts that in the wake of Covid-19 and the end of Brexit transition, Scottish agriculture will have to change significantly and adapt to a new operating environment which will not be ‘business as usual’.  

Ahead of the UK Government’s much-anticipated Spending Review, an NFU Scotland briefing has set out to the Treasury what it sees as the need for vital investment in agriculture and rural development to enable farming and crofting to deliver on the increased expectations being placed on the sector.

In a rapidly changing political, economic and social context, the Union has set out the case as to why public funding must be targeted to enable Scottish agriculture to drive economic activity and secure green growth.  With the right levels of public investment Scottish agriculture can:

• Produce high quality food and products;
• Enhance productivity and create new market opportunities and jobs;
• Lead the delivery of biodiversity, climate ambitions and a flourishing environment;
• Drive sustainable growth and diverse rural development to help rural economies prosper and communities thrive 
• Underpin a burgeoning Scottish food and drink sector.