The National Farmers’ Union of Scotland (NFUS) is set to host a webinar on the Scottish government’s Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill.
The bill was introduced on September 29, and aims to pave the way for new policy framework for Scottish agriculture.
NFUS will hold the webinar on Tuesday, November 14, to discuss how the bill should function for the agriculture industry.
The webinar will start at 7:00p.m and will set out the bill’s purposes and content, and outline the next steps.
“The future of Scottish agriculture will be forged by the bill – it’s critical that it has the objectives and scope to work for all active farmers and crofters,” the union said.
“Farmers and crofters have been tasked to do much of the heavy lifting to meet Scotland’s climate and nature goals, whilst also continuing to produce food of the highest quality and sustain the socio-economic fabric of our rural communities,” the union said.
“They are up to the task, but want stability, provided by the right financial support and policy framework, to ensure the continued delivery of the vast array of public goods and positive outcomes in the public interest that only they, as active farmers and crofters, can provide.
“The bill must be the enabling mechanism for this. Industry also needs the Scottish government to use 2024 and 2025 as an effective, smooth transition for all agricultural businesses to hit the ground running from 2026.”
Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill
In September, the Scottish government tabled the new bill to change how farmers and rural communities receive support in Scotland.
The draft Agriculture and Rural Communities Bill would allow the Scottish government to form a new support framework and provide financial and other assistance.
The payments framework would incentivise low-carbon approaches to improve resilience, efficiency and probability in the sector.
If passed, ministers will be required to prepare a five-year Rural Support Plan, detailing farming, forestry, and rural development support.
The legislation would also give ministers the power to change, extend or end Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) legislation as it applies in Scotland, and make changes to retained EU laws.
The bill would also allow the Scottish government to introduce training requirements for farmers and other workers. The regulation of animal identification is also updated.
