Scotland’s farmers, crofters and the wider agriculture sector would be guaranteed multi-year funding arrangements under plans to be outlined by the Scottish Conservatives.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay will make the pledge in a speech at the opening day of the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh telling an audience that the commitment will be in the party’s election manifesto next year.
Russell will say that farmers need the certainty of multi-year funding so that they can plan for the future rather than not knowing what their budgets will be from the government one year after the next.
He says SNP ministers are completely detached from the reality facing farmers, crofters and Scotland’s agriculture sector and have “kept them in the dark” for too long over what future support will look like.
Russell added that the sector is the “backbone of rural Scotland” and that the Scottish Conservatives will always champion their interests at Holyrood.
Shadow rural affairs secretary Tim Eagle, who is a sheep farmer near Buckie, will join Russell at the Highland Show and says the promise is something farmers have been “crying out for” from the SNP government, but successive rural affairs ministers have refused to listen.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay MSP said: “Farmers need certainty to plan effectively and need that support from governments to continue to produce the world-class food we all enjoy.
“The Scottish Conservatives today pledge to give them that certainty. In our manifesto next year, we will commit to delivering multi-year funding arrangements for farmers, crofters and the wider agriculture sector across Scotland.
“SNP ministers have kept them in the dark for too long as to what future support will look like. Nationalist ministers are completely detached from the reality facing them and understanding the damaging impact of keeping them in a constant state of limbo.
“The sector is the backbone of rural Scotland and under my leadership we will always champion their interests. I’m delighted to make this pledge on the opening day of Scotland’s biggest agricultural show.”
Scottish Conservative shadow rural affairs secretary Tim Eagle MSP said: “As a farmer I have experienced first-hand the impact of the SNP failing to support the work we do.
“I regularly hear from fellow farmers that they are finding it impossible to make future plans because they are having to continually second guess what the SNP are going to do.
“That is why the Scottish Conservatives have listened where SNP ministers have not, and we will act on their concerns.
“We will always stand up for our farmers, crofters and Scottish agriculture and ahead of next year’s election they know that the Scottish Conservatives are firmly on their side with this pledge to guarantee multi-year funding.”