AN ABILITY to adapt and change does not seem to be within the gift of our administration charged with implementing key flagship government ag-policy in Scotland.

On top of the IT fiasco, we have considerable recent issues with the ewe hogg scheme, some ill-advised planning within the BVA eradication scheme and the Beef Efficiency Scheme is wheezing towards a reluctant first-year finish for those within it.

There are a couple of obvious strands as to why this should be. Either the 'stakeholder' system so cherished by ScotGov has been negligent in its advice, or the civil service has ignored its sagacity.

While the industry at large might be willing to accept that there may have been an element of both of those, leading to failings within these schemes, it is the lack of manoeuvrability within them that currently frustrates the most senior of those stakeholders, NFU Scotland.

With such schemes having to adhere to strict rules – many of them emanating from Europe – it does make them awkward to pin down on paper and still get the practicalities right. But, it is an inability to finesse the system which frustrates many.

In many ways, ScotGov offers a shorter chain of 'command' that should allow a faster response time than that of Defra's Whitehall supertanker, so it is time that it stepped up to the plate.

There will always be instances of where things look right on paper, but when they are actually wheeled out into the real world, will need tweaking to make them work best. This is where good governance allows a bit of wiggle room and faster response times so that business can carry on as usual without more form-filling and office-based hassle.

I read somewhere that 20 years ago one fairly large farmer attributed 10% of his time being spent on admin' and that now, it is closer to 30-40%. That, quite frankly, is a waste of everyone's time.

Smithfield's legacy

IT IS good to see that the Royal Smithfield Club remains pro-active, despite giving up its 'show' within the East of England's winter event (see page 3).

For many fans of what was once THE big event of the winter, the move to Peterborough from London was just a trip too far in the depths of winter. Let us hope that in the future this proud club can once again re-capture the spirit of those splendid Earls Court shows.

Maybe there is scope for a round-robin of Smithfield championships within the nations that make up Great Britain?