Scotland’s Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead is calling on the European Union to transform and simplify its farming policy.

Speaking ahead of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels, he claims the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is currently too complex and is causing problems for farmers and crofters.

The call from the Scottish Government reflects the concerns of other member states across Europe.

Reform is needed

With just a month to go for farmers and crofters to complete their Single Application Form (SAF), Mr Lochhead says the complexity of the new policies has made this task harder than it needs to be.

Across Europe, 15 states have had to extend the application deadline to ensure farmers submit their applications on time.

Mr Lochhead is calling for urgent reform from within Europe. He wants the EU to be more ambitious in its plans to ensure CAP is simpler and more streamlined.

Along with a call for food production to be at the core of any new policy, Mr Lochhead also wants:

• Further flexibility around greening – currently farmers must ensure 5% of their land is set aside as an Ecological Focus Area, instead of being used for farming

• More proportionate penalties and reductions – these were recently relaxed as many farmers struggled with the new policy

• Simpler rural development programme approval – this currently covers a number of schemes

Change in focus

Mr Lochhead, who is urging the UK government to work with the European Commission to deliver the changes, is also calling for a change of focus.

He says the money used to administer the complex new CAP could be better spent on new entrants to the industry and the recommendations in Brian Pack’s review to reduce farming red tape.

Mary Munro, who heads up Strutt & Parker’s Farming Consultancy in Scotland says, “I imagine every farmer in Europe would wish for a less complex subsidy system. The main aim must be to ensure that support reaches the intended recipients and that the system is fair across the EU.”