Rural and Environment
In the news – Severe weather impact
April 11, 2019 by admin No Comments | Category Agriculture, Farming, Uncategorized
Farmland in the Pentlands under a layer of snow. Photographer – Matt Cartney. Crown Copyright.
You may have seen the WWF report on the Economic Impact of Extreme Weather on Scottish Agriculture in the papers today. The report suggests that Scottish farmers lost up to £161 million due to the Beast from the East last year.
The losses equated to around 6% of the total agricultural output when compared to the previous year, with the livestock sector hit hardest as a result of the impact of the severe snow in March and higher feeding costs over the summer.
In response, a Scottish Government spokesperson said:
“Our farmers, crofters and land managers are on the front line when it comes to dealing with unpredictable seasons and extreme weather. That is why we continue to engage with the industry to ensure that appropriate support is provided during challenging times.
“This has included offering support to our farming communities through the early payment of loans, securing derogations from European rules, and our continued support of the work of the Agricultural Weather Advisory Panel and Farm Advisory Service.
“We encourage all farmers, crofters and land managers to consider how they can look to improve the resilience of their business both financially and environmentally moving forward ”
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