SNP have form for farm budget raids – Carmichael voices concern on end to agriculture ringfence

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today raised concerns with the Rural Affairs Secretary in Parliament over plans to end the ringfenced agriculture budget in the devolved administrations. During questions to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mr Carmichael highlighted the broad opposition to the Budget from farming organisations, and questioned who had asked for the ringfence, which protects farm funding in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to be removed.

Speaking in the House, Mr Carmichael said:

“I congratulate the Secretary of State, and indeed the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the achievement of the Budget: in 23 years in this House, I have never seen such a degree of unity among farming organisations in their response to it. One point on which there seems to be no disagreement is that the removal of the ringfence around agricultural payments to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a bad move. Nobody asked for it. Why did the Government do it, and what do they expect to achieve with it?”

Responding, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed MP said:

“The right hon. Gentleman will be aware that we have announced the biggest Budget for sustainable farming—£5 billion over the next two years—in the history of our country, and that is to be welcomed by everybody in the sector and everybody who cares about it. This is a Government who believe in devolution. The consequentials mean that the appropriate level of funding will continue to go to those devolved Administrations, and our support for devolution means that the devolved Administrations will take their own decisions about the best way to spend it.”

Reacting after the exchange, Mr Carmichael said:

“There has never been anything stopping the Scottish government from topping up the agriculture budget if they so wished. We have the right to ask why they were so keen to get the power to cut the budget instead. 

“We all know that the SNP has form on this. They raided part of the agriculture fund just last year to paper over cracks in their budget. Given the mess they continue to make of Scotland’s finances there is every reason to believe they will do the same again if given the chance. Farmers deserve more stability and secure funding than this.”