Supporting Scots farmers costs less than a postage stamp
EU support for Scottish farmers is good value for money but red tape must be cut, Struan Stevenson MEP has warned.
Speaking to members of the National Farmers Union Scotlands north-east branch at Inveruries Thainstone Centre on Thursday [November 11], the Conservative MEP said CAP funding costs consumers just 23p per day less than a second class stamp.
But he warned that the regulatory burden imposed on farmers was crippling them with high costs. Meanwhile, he added, the EU was importing food from outside that didnt conform to Europes tough standards on hygiene and welfare.
Mr Stevenson said:
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has many critics and I dont for one minute think its perfect.
When I was first elected 11 years ago, the CAP accounted for 70% of the EU budget. But now that has shrunk to just 42% and there are 12 more member states.
Despite the squeeze, farmers in Scotland continue to survive and continue to deliver.
The current CAP budget adds up to 50 billion (42.5 billion). Divided among our 500 million consumers who benefit from the CAP, this equates to about 27 cents, which is 23p per day.
So for less than the price of a postage stamp we get food security, animal welfare, preservation of the natural landscape and high quality produce. I think thats a pretty good deal and we should congratulate Scotlands farmers on doing a brilliant job.
But he added:
Its madness that our farmers are bound hand and foot by red tape and yet we import vast quantities of foodstuffs produced under welfare and hygiene conditions that would constitute a criminal offence in the EU.
The high cost of complying with all of this red tape is not reflected in the prices our beef farmers are getting for their cattle. British beef is now being sold well below the cost of production. Lowland suckler cow producers reckon they are losing around 260 per cow. Lowland sheep producers say they are losing around 31 per ewe.
We must streamline the system so we can have the welfare and hygiene consumers expect at a price farmers can afford.
Struan Stevenson is a Conservative MEP for Scotland and a former Ayrshire farmer. www.struanstevenson.com.