Background
From 1 January 2005, the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act introduced, amongst other things, a statutory duty to publish certain information proactively. Full details of the arrangements for publication are available online at www.scotland.gov.uk/about/foi. Proactive publication of information recognises the importance of the public interest in the disclosure of factual information which helps to give an informed background to the policies and decisions of the Scottish Ministers.
In support of this policy Ross Finnie, Minister for Environment and Rural Development, announced in January 2005 that under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 we would disclose subsidy payments made to farmers/crofters for the new Single Farm Payment and support schemes. Farmers/crofters were told about this in the 2005 IACS Explanatory Booklet and on the Single Application Form (SAF). Payments under the Single Farm Payment Scheme started on 15 December 2005.
Scottish farmers/crofters are entitled to public subsidy in the same way as their counterparts elsewhere in Europe and beyond. Traditionally subsidy was linked to production and some production based schemes continue to exist (Scottish Beef Calf, Energy Crops and Nuts Aid Schemes, and Protein Crop Premium). But the new Single Farm Payment Scheme (SFPS), which replaced the Arable Area Payments, Beef Special Premium, Extensification Payment, Sheep Annual Premium, Slaughter Premium, Suckler Cow Premium Schemes, Dried Fodder and Seed Production Aid, broke the link between production and support.
The SFPS is not "money for nothing". In return for their SFP, farmers/crofters must maintain their land in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) and respect regulations relating to public, animal and plant health, environmental protection and animal welfare. Many non-market benefits are secured by this subsidy. Rural communities, in some of the most remote areas, where alternative land uses or job opportunities are scarce are sustained. The skills offered by farming families and the business opportunities they help, generate a healthy rural economy which in turn benefits the wider rural economy. And, the maintenance of high nature value areas, habitats, and landscapes benefit the general public and the tourist industry.
Supporting the agricultural sector also produces other knock-on benefits. In addition to direct employment, agriculture helps sustain employment in other industries - both upstream, such as feed manufacturers and veterinary services, and downstream, such as slaughterhouses and food processors. Of particular significance to sustaining many remote rural communities is the multiplier effect that expenditure of those engaged in agriculture can make to maintaining local services and, hence, viable communities. Agriculture accounts for some 5% of the rural workforce and contributes 1.3 per cent to gross valued added.
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