Q&A: New Scottish rural affairs minister quizzed on policy

Mairi Gougeon was appointed Scotland’s new cabinet secretary for rural affairs and islands in first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s post-election reshuffle in May.

Ms Gougeon, the Scottish National Party’s MSP for Angus North and Mearns, takes over the farming brief for the Scottish government from Fergus Ewing, who had held the cabinet secretary post for rural economy since 2016.

See also: Scottish agritourism set to benefit from staycation boom

Farmers Weekly put questions from several farmers to Ms Gougeon to gauge her future policy plans. Find out how she responded below:

Q: Will coupled payments still be in the suite of measures to support Scottish farmers and crofters in the future?

[Neale McQuistin, an upland beef and sheep farmer in New Luce, Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire, south-west Scotland]

Voluntary Coupled Support (VCS) is one of a number of mechanisms within CAP that is intended to maintain the vitality and viability of sheep and beef production across Scotland, particularly in our more remote rural and island communities.

Scottish government is committed to establishing an implementation board to drive forward recommendations of the farmer-led groups and how we use support mechanisms to help the livestock sector reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve outcomes for nature in our farmed environment.

A key part of the work of the board will be to provide advice on how we transition from the current support schemes, including VCS, to a new policy framework that will help our food producers thrive as world leaders in sustainable farming.

Q: Do you think Scotland has been left behind in terms of future agricultural policy, as England seems to be well ahead?

[Colin Ferguson, Farmers Weekly columnist and dairy farmer from the Machars Peninsula, south-west Scotland]

No, we will not be left behind. In contrast to England which is seeing the removal of direct support to farmers, Scotland has set out a period of “stability and simplicity” to 2025. During this period, we can discuss policy direction while providing certainty through Brexit and the immediate aftermath leaving the EU.

We will work with our producers and partners to develop sustainable future support that enables the sector to contribute to our world-leading emissions targets and keep Scotland aligned to the EU. 

Q: Following their reintroduction in Scotland, white-tailed eagles have been spotted on Loch Lomond and we farm sheep nearby. How concerned are you about the impact of sea eagle predation on sheep flocks?

[Shona Duncan, beef and sheep farmer, located beside Loch Lomond, southern Scotland]

There are no reports, to date, that the Loch Lomond pair are having an impact upon nearby sheep flocks.  However, if farmers in the local area are concerned about white-tailed eagle activity on their farms, they should contact NatureScot, which runs the Sea Eagle Management Scheme at seaeaglescheme@nature.scot.

The scheme is designed to help farmers who have issues with white-tailed eagles and offers advice and support on livestock management and prevention measures that can reduce the impact of sea eagles on sheep. Further details on the scheme can support can be found at nature.scot.

Q: Will you honour and implement the recent recommendations coming from groups set up on climate change by your predecessor Fergus Ewing, or allow civil servants to overrule the expert farmer-led groups?

[Robert Neill, former Farmers Weekly Farmer of the Year and mixed farmer in Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders]

Farmer-led groups were a key initiative in bringing together the people who have knowledge and expertise to propose practical, workable solutions to ensure that agriculture contributes to Scotland’s climate and helps reduce emissions and tackle climate change. The output of the groups provide advice on how to deliver some of the key policies in the Climate Change Plan update. 

The government has committed to establishing an integrated implementation board for development of new proposals for sustainable farming support and drive forward recommendations of farmer-led groups, and I will be delivering on this commitment.  

Q: Agriculture is completely lacking from Scottish education and should be on the curriculum to allow our children to understand where their food comes from and for them to consider a career in the industry – what are your views?

[Adrian Ivory, former Farmers Weekly Farmer of the Year and beef and arable farmer, in Perthshire]

Food education is an integral part of our national educational curriculum and we expect all schools to deliver on this. This learning includes exploring where food comes from and career opportunities in the food and farming industry.

We will shortly be working in partnership with NFU Scotland to explore how we can further strengthen the materials available to teachers to support delivery of food education. 

Our Good Food Futures Partnership is delivering a food education programme that aims to give children a greater understanding of where food comes from and the many career opportunities available in the industry.

This work has been affected by the pandemic, but the partnership has worked to provide alternatives, and this year the funding will include support for the Royal Highland Education Trust in delivering a programme of 80 digital farm experiences, which it estimates will reach around 2,800 pupils, and Education Scotland will be awarding grants of up to £3,000 to around 50 schools for the purpose of food education.

The Scottish government continues to provide funding support for the rural skills pre-apprenticeship initiative involving a partnership between Ringlink, Tarff Valley and Borders Machinery Rings. The programme is now in its third year and has supported around 70 young people to date. 

Q: The agritourism sector is a huge area for growth and sustainability for family farms. What are your plans with regards to support for farm diversification?

[Caroline Millar, facilitator of the Scottish Enterprise Agritourism Monitor Farm programme and a farmer based in Angus, east Scotland]

Agritourism is a thriving new sector within the wider tourism industry and it is one with huge potential, especially now with more people taking a “staycation” and wanting to spend more time enjoying Scotland’s great outdoors. Recognising the importance of this sector, in the first 100 days of the new government, we have committed to setting up a taskforce to develop a growth strategy for agritourism.