REDUCING the regulatory burden on those in the agricultural industry will be key to moving forward in a post-Brexit world.

This was the message this week as NFU Scotland released their latest policy document – 'Post-Brexit Priorities for Legislative Change' – highlighting elements of farming legislation that should be removed or improved as the UK exits the EU.

The launch was held at Tillyrie Farm, near Milnathort, where farmer Mark Thomson, who farms 86 beef cattle and 450 sheep on 196 hectares, gave real life examples of what he thinks farmers need in order to benefit from the legislative clear-out as the UK comes out of Europe.

"I, like most farmers, rely on support payments to bolster my annual income, and the past two years have been a nightmare of delays," he said. "Hopefully post-Brexit we can make sure we have more direct, regular payments.

"As well as that, I believe that efficiency is key, and that as things stand, some legislation stands in the way of that. I would hope that moving forward things can be assessed more regionally, so that farmers and crofters are getting the help and assistance that is most relevant to them."

The union are calling for the penalty system for those accidentally breaching rules to be replaced with a ‘yellow card’ warning system for minor breaches, allowing time for unintentional errors to be rectified. They view the current set up as 'draconian and disproportionate'.

Regarding risk-based legislation, one clear example of a positive change would see sheep producers only required to individually tag animals with electronic identification when they leave the holding of birth.

The union stressed that re-writing the UK farming rulebook to introduce more common sense would secure environmental and animal welfare standards, traceability, and accountability, not only benefitting farmers and crofters, but helping those officials currently charged with enforcing complex and confusing regulations.

"We've a huge chance – post-Brexit – to make a difference to Scottish agriculture," said NFUS president, Andrew McCornick. "We need to look at ongoing issues like the Beef Efficiency Scheme and cattle EID and address how we can move these forward in the most effective way.

"Areas like Plant Protection need to be addressed by looking at hazard, rather than risk, and overall we need to make sure that everyone knows where we are coming from," he said. "This document is the just the beginning of a very serious conversation.

"With the EU Withdrawal Bill expected to be in place by 2019, the opportunity exists to identify priorities for legislative change now and deliver on these during the period between the UK exiting the EU, and before the implementation of any new UK and Scottish agricultural policies.

"Brexit must allow us to replace elements of EU agricultural regulation that are bureaucratic, ineffective or ill-tailored to farming conditions in the UK and Scotland," he insisted. "I firmly believe that elements can be redesigned or implemented in a better way.

"Regulation should always be appropriate, proportionate, evidence-based and as light-touch as possible. A successful approach to delivering regulation would involve more carrot and less stick, a yellow card warning system for unintentional breaches and encouragement for farmers to do what they do best – provide a safe and affordable supply of food."