As an interminably long year rumbled towards its conclusion, what was described as ‘the most significant change to farming and land management in 50 years’, came to light, as Defra published detail of its plan to replace the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy with its own system of support for sustainable farming practices. Explaining the principles of the Conservative Government’s ‘Path to sustainable farming’ document, Environment Secretary George Eustice said its purpose was to remove the ‘arbitrary area-based subsidies on land ownership or tenure’ that characterised the latter years of the CAP. Speaking as part of the Oxford Farming Conference’s ‘Bitesize’ series of online presentations, Mr Eustice promised to remove the ‘top down rules and draconian penalties’ of the EU system and suggested that farmers might have to rediscover the production techniques of past eras to reduce their environmental impact and ‘make space for nature’. The Defra roadmap outlined changes that will come into force over a period of seven years, designed to ensure that by 2028, farmers in England can ‘sustainably produce healthy food profitably without subsidy, whilst taking steps to improve the environment, improve animal health and welfare and reduce carbon emissions’.

It would be mandatory to use of Closed Circuit Television in Scottish abattoirs from July 1, 2021, it was announced. Slaughterhouses will be required to install and operate CCTVs and to retain footage and associated data for a period of 90 days. The decision follows a public consultation by the Scottish Government in 2018 in which a vast majority of respondents backed the new measures. The legislation was then approved by the Scottish Parliament on November 11. Currently over 95% of animals processed in Scotland go through abattoirs which use CCTV, however, the standards of that coverage can differ from location to location and some existing CCTV systems may require upgrading or replacement. Following a long campaign by the veterinary profession, the British Veterinary Association has hailed the move as a positive step for animal welfare. “This decision is a huge win not only for animal health and welfare but for public health, food safety and trade,” said BVA Scottish branch president Kathleen Robertson. “While most Scottish abattoirs already have CCTV, this legislation will help to keep welfare standards high at all stages of the supply chain now and in the future. It is positive that official vets in Scottish abattoirs will be able to use CCTV footage as a complement to their welfare monitoring and also have unrestricted access to footage so that they can identify and resolve any breaches in regulation effectively,” she explained. CCTV has been compulsory in all slaughterhouses in England, in areas where live animals are present, since May 2018.

Grouse shooting in Scotland is to be brought under the control of a Government-granted licence. In a move long-feared by the game sector – and enthusiastically touted by conservationists – grouse moors will now need to comply with strict rules or risk having their licence to operate removed. While the new regime will be based on a set of rules governing management practices like muirburn and the use of medicated grit, the central plank of licensing will be the wellbeing of raptors. Whatever the detail in practice, the new system’s blunt threat is that grouse moors where protected predator species meet untimely deaths could be forced to close down. Announcing the proposals, Scottish Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment Mairi Gougeon said: “Having given full consideration to the recommendations of the Grouse Moor Management Group, alongside a wealth of other evidence and research, I have concluded that greater oversight of the practices associated with grouse moor management is necessary.”