Crofting

important on the West Coast, both summer moist regions. However, sheep and beef production remains signifcant in most regions, particularly in hill country, where other landuse options are more limited and climate is still benign enough to allow stock to remain outside all year round.

Around 75% of the national farmed deer herd of 850,000, is also found in South Island hill country. In dry alpine regions Merino sheep are farmed on large extensive “stations” for their ultra-fne fbre used in a wide range of activewear and fashion fabrics.

Fruit production thrives in the Nelson and Central Otago regions – everything from berry to pip and stonefruit, hops and kiwifruit. Some NZ hops even go to making Guinness and there is a thriving local craft beer industry.

As agriculture has intensifed in recent decades, so has the pressure on the environment. Mitigation of the impact of farming, features strongly in the minds of farmers and regulators. Minimising nutrient loss, maintaining biodiversity, and reducing the production of greenhouse gases, being key issues. Efforts both on-farm and in research organisations, are working to achieve positive environmental outcomes.

This unique country, allows you to experience a wide variety of rural enterprises and to meet with the local producers. Add to this the stunning alpine, lake and forest scenery, it is clear why agri-tourisim is so encouraged and important to New Zealand and it is such a popular destination with Scottish farming families as it was with their ancestors.

Thanks to Farm To Farm Tours NZ and Field Farm Tours UK for their photos and input.

Fiona is a freelance journalist based in Dumfries and a tour guide with the Agricultural Tour Company Field Farm Tours.

Let’s talk about the future of Scottish agriculture

By Patrick Krause, Chief Executive, Scottish Crofting Federation

Taking stock of the many advisory groups that Scottish Government initiated over the past few years, the long-awaited 10th and final report of the Farming and Food Production Future Policy Group (FFPFPG), “Recommendations to Government”, has been published.

Set up at Scottish Parliament’s behest in June 2019, this group of experts from industry, academia, research and government was to ‘develop and make recommendations for the future of Scottish farming and food production policy’. They gathered evidence from the policy recommendations made by the National Council of Rural Advisors, the Agriculture Champions, the Greening Group, the Simplification Task Force and from stakeholders. The final report also refers to the Just Transition Commission findings and various policy analyses from Scottish, UK and European bodies. It was the group that reviews the groups.

The report finds that “direct support is not evenly distributed, for example the Highlands and Islands account for half of all Scottish farmland but receive only 16% of Pillar I support and 38% of Pillar 2.” It also concludes that agricultural support has failed to deliver on policy objectives, such as climate change and biodiversity.

LFASS, is exposed again “for being a highly complex scheme which uses grazing categories and payment rates that result in the majority of support being distributed to the better quality land within the LFA as opposed to the more marginal farmland.” You can see why we complain.

The report then goes on to make a series of recommendations to improve the system, but not all in the group agreed. Judging by the response in the media, the farmers’ union are a principle objector, for reasons unspecified.

Scottish Government also set up 5 ‘farmer-led climate change groups’ to look specifically at measures to reduce Green House Gas emissions in the various agriculture sectors. All have reported to the ministers.

And, oh dear, there have been still more advisory groups such as the ‘Future Agricultural Funding: Policy Delivery Group’ and the ‘Agricultural policy implementation – EU Hub’. In common, all the groups have the remit: to report to Scottish Government on how to have sustainable agriculture, or words to that effect.

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, has pledged that government will pull all of this together, with yet another group, the ‘implementation board’. Lots of time and money has gone in to this, and enough hot air to threaten climate change has come out. It must be worth it.