This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Land Management Contract Menu Scheme
25/08/2005
Provisional data on uptake of options under the Land
Management Contract (LMC) Menu Scheme shows that it
has received overwhelming industry support, it was
announced today.
The scheme offers 17 options to promote initiatives such
as participation in Quality Assurance schemes, animal
health and welfare programmes and the environmentally
sensitive management of habitats.
During a visit to Gilston Mains farm, Environment and
Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie said:
"Some 10,000 Scottish farmers have applied under the
various options available through the LMC Menu Scheme. This
will direct over £17 million to improving standards in
Scottish farming.
"This is a huge endorsement for the approach we have
taken, representing just under half of all farmers applying
under the Single Farm Payment Scheme.
"It demonstrates clearly the readiness of land managers
throughout Scotland to transform working practices in ways
that are good for their business, for the wider
countryside, and for the general public. It is an
excellent foundation for the full introduction of LMCs
planned for 2007."
There has been good uptake across all 17 options; the
most popular being membership of a quality assurance scheme
and participation in an animal health and welfare
programme. Both these measures are unique to Scotland
within the EU. The animal health and welfare programme
supports a proactive approach to raising standards in
partnership with veterinary advisors and recognises the
contribution which this can make to the farm business and
to the production of quality products.
The level of uptake across the land-based measures has
also been high. These encourage the management of upland
and lowland habitat types in a way which is good for
biodiversity and water quality. These incentivise
landscape improvements such as bringing small farm
woodlands under active management and protecting important
linear features like hedges, ditches and dry stone dykes.
The public will benefit too from the large number of
paths which are being maintained and access improved with
signposts, gates and stiles.
The LMC Menu Scheme was introduced for the first time in
2005. It represents Tier 2 of the LMC model. The scheme
provides flexibility and choice for land managers and is
available on a non-competitive basis. It is designed to
raise standards of management throughout Scotland and
offers a wide range of measures to suit the diversity of
land types.
The uptake figures are still provisional; these may
change once the data has been fully quality checked. A
summary of uptake, spend, and area managed by measure will
be available on the Scottish Executive website once the
figures are finalised.
Consultants have been commissioned to carry out an
assessment of the scheme in its first year. The findings
should be available towards the end of 2005. Minor changes
to some of the measures to remove anomalies will be
incorporated for 2006, any more major changes will be
implemented in 2007.
Further work is in hand to develop and implement the
full LMC approach for 2007. Tier 3 will be designed to
reward more specific, high value benefits and a mechanism
for prioritising and targeting is being explored. It will
also enable activities to be carried out at the appropriate
spatial scale, which for some priority issues may be
greater than an individual holding. In contrast to Tier 2,
Tier 3 will be available on a competitive basis.
Stakeholders are fully involved in the development
process. Public consultation on LMCs is planned for early
2006, as part of the process of preparing Scotland's Rural
Development Programme for the period 2007-2012.
Table: Provisional figures on uptake of the LMC Menu
Scheme in 2005
Animal Health and Welfare Management Programme
No of applicants - 3949
Projected Spend - £2.50m
Membership of Quality Assurance Schemes
No of applicants - 7548
Projected Spend - £0.85m
Training
No of applicants - 1807
Projected Spend - £0.78m
Farm and Woodland Visits
No of applicants - 406
Projected Spend - £150000
Off-farm Talks
No of applicants - 275
Projected Spend - £50000
Buffer Areas
No of applicants - 880
Projected Spend - £250000
Area Managed - 1230 hectares
Management of Linear Features - Hedges
No of applicants - 342
Projected Spend - £46000
Area Managed - 466km
Management of Linear Features - Ditches
No of applicants - 2835
Projected Spend - £2.35m
Area Managed - 2350km
Management of Linear Features - Dykes
No of applicants - 1334
Projected Spend - £0.54m
Area Managed - 5400km
Management of Moorland Grazing
No of applicants - 233
Projected Spend - £196000
Area Managed - 196,000 hectares
Management of Rush Pasture
No of applicants - 1751
Projected Spend - £2.06m
Area Managed - 16500 hectares
Biodiversity Cropping on in-bye (Normal)
No of applicants - 46
Projected Spend - £4250
Area Managed - 106 hectares
Biodiversity Cropping on in-bye (Premium)
No of applicants - 12
Projected Spend - £2760
Area Managed - 18 hectares
Retention of Winter Stubbles
No of applicants - 1050
Projected Spend - £0.675m
Area Managed - 16900 hectares
Wild Bird Seed Mixture
No of applicants - 371
Projected Spend - £160,000
Area Managed - 490 hectares
Summer Cattle Grazing
No of applicants - 419
Projected Spend - £173,000
Area Managed - 173,000 hectares
Nutrient Management
No of applicants - 663
Projected Spend - £186,000
Area Managed - 93,000 hectares
Improving Access (Maintenance)
No of applicants - 2517
Projected Spend - £6.60m
Area Managed - 2400km
Improving Access (Capital Items)
No of applicants - 1628
Projected Spend - £285,000
Woodland Plan
No of applicants - 185 (70 plans received by
deadline)
Projected Spend - £31000
Area Managed - 3000 hectares
Farm Woodland Management
No of applicants - 162 (70 plans received by
deadline)
Projected Spend - £30000
Area Managed - 1000 hectares