SIR: – Slow delivery and lack of clarity on new farming policy means farmers’ ability to plan for the future is difficult.

Farming is an industry that requires long term planning. The slow development and communication of a new Scottish-based farm policy, post Brexit, is frustrating farmers and making vital long-term planning difficult.

It was never going to be easy, given we had adopted European CAP measures since the 1970s. EU support was usually delivered on a long-term framework of at least 7-10 years, and the payment of that support was largely universal and linked to how much land a farm had.

Scotland was clear that it would create its own farm policy, not directly aligned to England and closer to ongoing EU policy. However, the direction of travel and strategy was basically the same, creating a new farm policy focussing more on environmental outcomes and delivering Scotland’s targets to reduce emissions and deliver on carbon reduction.

A subtle difference in Scotland has been a greater focus on maintaining food production at the heart of farming but at the same time creating a more diverse farming structure.

In Scotland, as in the rest of the UK, farming support represents a very significant proportion of farm income. For many, it is the difference that keeps them in business. Following Brexit, much was made of the fact that the budget for farming support was ringfenced until at least 2024.

This enabled Scotland to move slowly in developing that future policy and largely maintain BPS payments beyond that election date. I felt that this was a mistake.

Any delay in urging farmers to change and adapt farming practices to new policy objectives and meet new environmental and Net Zero commitments would hold back Scottish farming.

Now, seeing the challenge in England of rolling out new policy and the inevitable complexity it brings to farmers already struggling to cope with the cost-of-living crisis, that delay has at least given the industry breathing space to work with Government to try to make sure the new policy is workable.

That said, the direction of that new policy is predictable and even though the names of the various elements are different it is largely following England’s approach. What that entails is a ‘Pick and Mix’ approach with the inevitable complexity and challenge this will bring.

Of course, some farmers will look at this as an opportunity and fill their ‘pick and mix’ bag with as many goodies as possible, but there may be a considerable number who do not and lose the vital support their business needs in the future.

Given the diverse nature of farming in Scotland, maintaining some level of universality of payment will be essential to maintain farming’s structure.

Whilst existing area-based payments continue in Scotland, that provides a window of opportunity for farmers to focus on their business efficiencies and be ready for the new policies. We know the direction of travel, and understanding your own business is key in deciding where future support/environmental payments will fit in.

Now’s the time to make sure your business is as future- fit as possible to deal with the inevitable changes that are coming.

I would very much encourage farmers to engage with their professional advisors, look at what’s happening in your own business and what’s coming down the road. Yes, it is not perfect that we do not have total clarity and it’s complicated, but change is coming and it is better to be prepared for those changes sooner rather than later.

I recently attended the NFUS conference and it was great to see the passion and commitment in the room focused on Scottish farming and food production. There was talk of the new policies, but it was all a bit vague and fingers crossed.

England’s rollout of policy has stuttered and there is still work to do. Given the timescale in Scotland, it is imperative to make the most of the time available to develop and refine policy, make sure it is fit for purpose when delivered, and that it delivers on the wider environmental and climate objectives.

In 2019, Michael Gove described the changes coming to UK farming as nothing less than a revolution. Well, that revolution has rather petered out, as so many do.

In its place we have yet more bureaucracy that needs addressing. Farmers are inevitably focused on the day job of looking after crops and livestock, but it really has never been more important to step back and spend some time looking at how you can secure the future of your farm in a radically changing farming world.

Brian Richardson, Head of UK agriculture for Virgin Money.