Rural and Environment

This week: 15/03/19

March 15, 2019 by charlottebarbour No Comments | Category Environment, Farming

Pass It On Week

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham and Zero Waste Scotland Chief Executive Iain Gulland visited Perth Toy Library to see how re-use benefits the local community and tackles waste.

Agri-tourism monitor farms

Two farms have been selected to develop their food tourism business and encourage others to follow their example.

Working with other farms, estates and crofts, the two new agri-tourism monitor farms located in East Lothian and Dunbartonshire will help to improve their profitability, productivity and sustainability through practical demonstrations and sharing of best practice.

Read more about agri-tourism monitor farms

Less Favoured Area Support Scheme

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing confirmed £39.45 milion of NLFASS payments have now hit bank accounts with more to come. This money is crucial for our hill farmers and crofters who operate in some of Scotland’s most remote and marginalised areas, said Mr Ewing.

Future Fisheries

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing set out to Parliament the Scottish Government’s proposals for the future management of fisheries in Scotland. He outlined his plans to manage our natural resources sustainably, support and work closely with local communities and seek to secure the future of Scotland’s fishing industry and assets for future generations.

Forfar Auction Market

Rural Affairs Minister Mairi Gougeon was at Lawrie Symington auction mart in Forfar to hear from farmers and rural businesses about their real concerns around Brexit and its potential impact on their livelihoods.

UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science

Environment and Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham visited Dundee University’s UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science to discuss important research being undertaken and the role the centre plays in our Hydro Nation vision.

Common Agricultural Policy

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing announces the opening of the Common Agricultural Policy application window.

Commenting on the opening of the Single Application Form window, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said:

“This year’s Single Application Form (SAF) window has now opened with farmers, crofters and land managers having until midnight on 15^th May to submit their applications. As with last year, I would encourage everyone who wishes to do so to submit their applications online as soon as possible – doing so they will benefit from pre-submission validation checks on their application.

“Applying online is specifically designed to simplify the process by automatically checking for errors – reducing the risk of financial penalties – and enabling farmers to access and update their business and land information at the touch of a button.

“With Brexit continuing to present the biggest threat to the industry, I would remind farmers that the farm payment element of the Common Agricultural Policy payments are guaranteed at current levels until 2021 offering a degree of certainty and stability during these uncertain times. In the meantime, I continue to push the UK Government for confirmation that Pillar 2 funding is included under their funding guarantee – something we have yet to receive.”

Tags: environment, Farming, ruraleconomy

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