Earlier this week saw the anticipated publication of the SRUC report into rural and agricultural development on Shetland, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides.
For anyone in any doubt as to the unique demands, costs and pressures for farming on our islands, this report makes stark reading.
This is an important piece of work and I welcome the publication. The research shows that islands face disadvantage in terms of agricultural funding structures and tiered support. It highlights the higher rate of crofting across the islands compared to the mainland, but worryingly also highlights that current Government policies negatively impact smaller producers, such as crofters, due to disproportionate overhead compliance expenses, and additional costs for managing common grazings, which in turn disincentivise enrolment, amongst other built-in inequalities for islanders.
The frustrating thing about this research is that it was delayed from being published while I and other MSPs were working on the Agriculture Bill in Parliament last month. The research contained in the report would have been vital to shape the Bill to minimise the disadvantages faced by island farmers and crofters.
By delaying this report until consideration of the Bill has concluded, suggests that the SNP Government do not want to address these concerns which is a damning indictment and can only be interpreted as an attempt to do down our island communities. Had we been given sight of this report, the Parliament could have put forward amendments to the Agriculture Bill to ensure that the island-specific rural issues that are flagged in this study were addressed.
I have written to the Cabinet Secretary insisting that she must consider these findings when drawing up the Rural Support Plan, to ensure that these built-in disadvantages are removed. The Rural Support Plan will set out how agricultural funding is distributed.
Island communities are dependent on a vibrant farming and crofting sector to safeguard their economies and further detriment would be damaging.
All figures and data visualisations are from the SRUC publication. The report can be accessed in full here: Island Agriculture | Rural Exchange | SRUC