Lochhead prioritises agriculture at Oxford Farming Conference and Mather offers immediate support

Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment spoke at Oxford University’s prestigious Oxford Farming Conference to an audience including Jean-Luc Demarty, the EU’s Director-General for Agriculture and Development and Westminster Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn MP. In outlining the Scottish Government’s plan for  agriculture, Mr Lochhead strongly underlined its importance to the Scottish economy and the crucial role it has to play in guaranteeing the delivery of food to future generations.

In opposition to the policy being driven by the UK Government’s Department For Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which is pushing the EU for a speedy ending of agricultural subsidies, Mr Lochhead said: ‘That is not Scotland’s vision. It ignores Scotland’s unique circumstances’. Noting that: ‘successful policies for the future will need genuine engagement from Government and stakeholders, the Minister said that: ’2009 will be a pivotal year for our industry (agriculture). We will be taking decisions on how to implement the Common Agriculture Policy health check and will be deciding on the shape of our Less Favoured Area support from 2010 onwards. We are also reviewing the Scotland Rural development Programme to see whether it is properly equipped to deal with the challenges of the economic downturn’.

Argyll’s MSP, Jim Mather, welcomed his fellow Minister’s statement saying that RIchard Lochhead :’..continues to break new ground in his ministerial role and to speak out and speak up successfully for Scotland in the corridors of power’.

Mr Mather went on to say of Richard Lochhead: ‘His appearance at the Oxford Farming Conference was a first for a Scottish Minister since devolution and follows his successful active participation in Fisheries policy discussions in Brussels.  He continues to demonstrate that there is a distinctive Scottish voice to be heard on these issues and to raise awareness of the importance of that voice being heard.

‘The Minister maintains that our farming industry can have hope and optimism in spite of the present climate of economic uncertainty and calls for the Scottish Parliament to have more power to help deliver for our farmers. He underlines the importance of the farming sector within Scotland and that its primary purpose, the production of quality foods, is worth at present £7.5 billion per annum to the economy and that it the government’s aim to increase this to £10 billion per annum by 2017′.

With farming already important and a reinvigorated crofting on the increase, state support for agriculture is important in mainland and island Argyll.

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