Plea for farming and crofting subsidies to benefit nature
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Environmental campaigners are calling for fairer farming subsidies that work for nature and climate as well as people.
The plea, to marks the United Nations' World Environment Day on Monday, June 5, comes as the Scottish Government is reviewing the farm-funding system ahead of the introduction of a new agriculture bill.
The bill will set out how farming is funded for years to come, and Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of Scotland’s leading environmental charities, wants the climate and biodiversity crises to be at the forefront of changes.
The coalition points out that farming and land management are among the most harmful contributors to biodiversity loss and environmental degradation and among the top three sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Current practices also make farming a major cause of wildlife loss, it adds. In Scotland, one in nine species is at risk of extinction.
Annually, the Scottish Government spends more than half a billion pounds of taxpayers’ money on farm funding, but the money isn’t designed to support farmers and crofters to produce food in a way that helps to preserve nature or tackle climate change.
This is why under the campaign Farm for Scotland’s Future, Scottish Environment LINK is calling on the government to take heed of the nature and climate crises. They would like to see the "outdated" funding system replaced with one that works for the benefit of people and nature.
It argues that, to achieve this, the Scottish Government must support all farmers and crofters in the transition to sustainable farming and spend at least three quarters of its farming budget on methods that restore nature and tackle climate change.
Campaigners also say the current system is deeply unfair. Most public spending on farming is used to pay farmers based on the amount of land they own, regardless of how they farm that land. Some farmers benefit massively from government funding under this system, while other, often smaller and environmentally friendly farmers lose out.
The support for fairer subsidies that work to safeguard Scotland’s natural environment and produce food more sustainably was highlighted in a recent poll by Survation.
It showed that four in five people in Scotland (85 per cent) would like to see taxpayers’ money spent to support farming methods that restore nature and tackle climate change, in addition to producing food. The poll also showed a majority (62 per cent) support capping the current system of land area-based payments for farmers so there is more available to spend on climate and nature-friendly farming.
Deborah Long, chief officer of Scottish Environment LINK, said: “As well as producing food, farmers and crofters manage three quarters of Scotland’s land. By changing how it funds farming, the Scottish Government can create a fairer system that helps all farmers and crofters work in harmony with nature and our needs.
“By playing a part in restoring nature, tackling climate change, and revitalising Scotland’s rural areas, farming can work for the benefit of everyone, while providing quality affordable food long into the future. A growing number of farmers and crofters are already working with nature and climate in mind by keeping their soils healthy, planting trees, and making space for wildlife, but these farmers and crofters need more support. And supporting more of them to do so, will help."
She added: “By 2030, the Scottish Government must stop using the farming budget to reward land ownership and instead ensure public funding for farmers works for the benefit of people and the planet to help ensure a healthy future for us all."
