AN INQUIRY into the issues and challenges facing Scotland’s rural economy has been launched by the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster.

During a visit to Haughhead farm in Balerno, the chairman of the Westminster group, Pete Wishart MP, explained the inquiry's motivation: “We want to add to the debate of where the future of Scottish farming should be and it is ideal timing with the UK Agriculture Bill going through the House of Commons and similarly the Scottish Government’s consultation about the type of legislation they are going to bring forward, drawing to fruition.

“We aren’t responsible for legislation – that lies solely with the Scottish Government – however, we are able to look at the bigger picture and can examine in detail some of the issues and challenges that are going to be emerging.”

Through their inquiry, the committee will look to examine the Agriculture Bill in detail and hear evidence from the Scottish Government, the Crofting Federation, NFU Scotland, The National Council of Rural Advisors as well as many more farming and environmental groups, and deliver a cross-party report on its findings by next Spring. Mr Wishart stressed that, as a cross-party inquiry, party politics were to be set aside.

“This is a unique opportunity this committee has where some of the harder politics could perhaps be parked in order to take the evidence. We will come to a consensual agreed position as a cross-party group and have no intention of having minority reports,” he insisted.

The UK Agriculture Bill received its second hearing last week and questions continue to be raised over its move towards more greening, with little incentive for food production.

“The direction of the UK government is to put in place a system which rewards farmers and crofters for their commitment to the environment and will look to the future removal of single farm payments,” noted Mr Wishart. “The points that I raised during the second reading were – ‘where is the food production and the support for agri-businesses? How do we incentivise famers to produce the diverse foods our nation requires?’ he recalled. “We see it as an Agriculture bill without the agriculture, a farming bill without the means to support food production.”

The chairman said that the cross-party group recognised that Scotland’s rural economy was significantly different to the rest of the UK and the inquiry will hope to hear how Scottish farmers and crofters would cope with the withdrawal of subsidies.

Alastair Wardlaw, a third-generation farmer who looks after 100 cattle on his farm in Balerno, said that the public need to start valuing farmers and their produce or they will never get a fair deal on farm incomes: “We are seeing cattle sold last year for the same price as we made for them in 1984,” he commented. “As soon as the price begins to creep up, we start to import beef and that brings our price back down again. The sad state of affairs is that people prefer to eat cheap and drive a fancy car than pay a little more for their food.”

Mr Wishart concluded: “There is huge change coming to the Scottish countryside and the way we will be farming the land and we want to understand the issues, challenges and what we need to do to ensure Scotland is prepared in its agriculture and its rural economy as we move forward.”