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Funding for wildlife friendly farming takes another hit
Last modified: 08 February 2012
Species such as corncrake have benefited from agri-environment grants
Following today’s Budget Bill debate, Vicki Swales, Head of Land Use Policy at RSPB Scotland said: “It’s extremely disappointing that pleas for Mr Swinney to reverse cuts to schemes that encourage wildlife friendly farming seem to have fallen on deaf ears. The Government’s spending review will cut funding for agri-environment schemes, a financial lifeline for many landowners, by £11 million over the next three years, on top of an earlier £10 million reduction. This means, in total, a cut of a third over five years. These cuts will disadvantage farmers and crofters across Scotland, not to mention a wide variety of farmland wildlife. The Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee has already expressed its concerns about cuts in funding and intends to monitor the situation.
“Decisions taken now about agri-environment scheme budgets could have a bearing on future funding streams from Brussels, as part of wider Common Agricultural Policy reforms. Scotland currently receives the lowest share of these EU funds of all Member States and the Scottish Government has already made the case in Europe for an increase. Such calls for increased EU funding are likely to garner little sympathy if Scotland cannot demonstrate its ability to provide the necessary match funding. Cutting domestic expenditure now sends all the wrong signals to Brussels and may cost Scotland dear in the future.”
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