This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Help for agriculture industry
28/02/2003
The 20 day standstill on animal movements is to be
reduced to 13 days as part of a package of measures to
build a more robust and profitable farming industry for
Scotland.
Minister for Environment and Rural Development Ross
Finnie also outlined the Executive's National Strategy for
Farm Business Advice and Skills, announced as part of the
2002 Scottish Budget and backed by £2 million.
A consultation on legislative proposals for animals
disease control has also been announced.
Speaking today at the NFU Scotland Annual Conference in
St Andrews, Ross Finnie said:
"I am pleased to announce that following consultation
with the industry stakeholders group, the standstill period
of 20 days currently in force will be reduced to 13 days as
soon as revised legislation can be enacted. The same
arrangements for exemptions and separation will continue to
apply.
"A key factor in my decision has been the evidence of
close compliance with the existing arrangements. However,
if evidence emerges that compliance rates decline between
now and the autumn, we will have no hesitation in
reimposing a 20-day standstill.
"I am pleased to announce the publication of Scotland's
FMD Contingency Plan. If Foot and Mouth should occur again,
we are better prepared to respond immediately and so
minimise the damage and disruption to the industry, and
indeed the whole country. The Plan builds upon the
experiences of 2001 and has been subject to extensive
consultation.
"The current legislative base for disease control
generally is now 20 years old and the threat has greatly
increased since then. In recognition of that, I am
launching a consultation on legislative proposals for
animals disease control.
"£2 million will also be provided to improve services
for farmers through investment in electronic technology.
This will enable electronic subsidy applications to be made
for additional support schemes by March 2004. Some of this
money will also be used to fund the next phase of the
electronic cattle traceability project which is planned for
late spring. This will allow wider access to the cattle
tracing system and enable errors to be detected and
corrected more easily.
"All farmers need access to good advice and so I am
pleased to announce the launch of our national strategy for
farm business advice and skills. It provides £2 million
over three years concentrating on key measures that can be
implemented quickly, and which offer real support to
farmers looking to improve their performance. A key element
of this will be a new, grant assisted whole farm audit
service, which will identify and deliver the actions needed
to improve performance."
Commenting on the review of the Common Agriculture
Policy, Mr Finnie said:
"I have made no secret of the fact that the European
Commission's CAP reform proposals are unacceptable from a
Scottish perspective.
"On decoupling, I have no problem with the principle.
But my concern with the Commission's proposal is that there
is no effective means of ensuring the range of public goods
that we want from agriculture will be delivered. The
seemingly inevitable reduction in production in certain key
sectors - notably suckler beef - would have very serious
consequences for these sectors and rural areas generally.
On modulation, I have major concerns with the proposals.
They place a discriminatory burden on large farms - and
consequently on Scotland.
"It is 20 months since the launch of the Strategy and
since that time we have made very good progress on its
implementation. I have never claimed that the Strategy
represents a cure for all ills, but it does provide a
strategic base on which to build a more robust and
profitable farming industry for Scotland. As other events -
EU Enlargement, the WTO and CAP Reform - unfold, the
Strategy remains at least as relevant as it was when it was
first published, and provides the key to the way
forward."
The proposed
Disease Control consultation will cover the same range
of virulent, exotic diseases as at present, but would
ensure we can tackle future disease outbreaks quickly and
effectively.
Farmers who wish to submit electronic subsidy
applications, but who do not have their own computers, will
be able to use public access computers available in
18 livestock markets.