Image source, Confor

Taken from the Confor website:, external

"Our aim is to support sustainable forestry and wood-using businesses through political engagement, market promotion and supporting our members' competitiveness."

In its submission Confor said: 

"Leaving the EU, means exiting from CAP. This provides an opportunity to create a more profitable, diverse, environmental, and vibrant rural economy. The key first step in seizing this opportunity is to create a truly integrated land use policy in which forestry and farming are able to work together for a flourishing rural economy."

Read more from the Confor submission here. , external

Image source, bbc

Stuart Goodall from Confor says the forestry sector of Scotland is 50% of the sector across the UK, justifying the 17% of support coming to Scotland under CAP, rather than 8%.

Mr Goodall says forestry delivers three times as much return as sheep farming.

He says there is an opportunity now to come up with an integrated policy.

Tory MSP Peter Chapman says this is public money which has to deliver public goods and this is a subsidy on food.

Mr Chapman says this is about the quality of food and there is no way it would could be produced to such a high standard without the subsidy. 

Mr Chapman, who is a farmer, says "there are opportunities ahead but it needs to be a gradual process."

Image source, AHDB

Taken from the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board website:

"The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is a statutory levy board, funded by farmers, growers and others in the supply chain and managed as an independent organisation (independent of both commercial industry and of Government).

• Our purpose is to inspire our farmers, growers and industry to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
• Our vision is for a world-class food and farming industry inspired by, and competing with the best."

Image source, bbc

Jonnie Hall from NFU Scotland says the agriculture support package will be determined by the trade deal that the UK and thus Scotland get from Brexit. 

Tom Hind from the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board says you could argue the CAP has been tremendously successful, given the treaty.

Mr Hind says the relationship between the UK and Scottish agricultural policy and the Brexit trade deal is fundamental and the industry will "probably be exposed to more volatility".

Committee convener Edward Mountain says he is interested in the point about CAP making farmers "relaxed" and he doesn't necessarily agree with that.

SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson asks about the period during the transition and negotiations of Brexit. 

Jonnie Hall from NFU Scotland says there are a number of factors and variables that will affect how agricultural support plays out.

Mr Hall says it will depend on trade deals upon leaving the single market and this will take a certain amount of time.

"We will require some certainty within that," he says. "There will be an ongoing need for support". 

Image source, SRUC

Taken from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) website:  , external

"We exist to deliver comprehensive skills, education and business support for Scotland’s land-based industries, founded on world class and sector-leading research, education and consultancy."

Image source, bbc

Green MSP John Finnie says Scotland gets 17% of the money the UK gets, but post-Brexit that would be 8%.

Mr Finnie asks how well the sector is prepared for the transition.

Steven Thomson from SRUC says the CAP has reduced innovation and it has led to people having a more relaxed time.

Mr Thomson says it has ensured continuous food production and standards second to none.

He highlights the environmental benefits and kept food prices low. 

Image source, Scottish Environment LINK

Taken from the Scottish Environment LINK website:, external

"Scottish Environment LINK is the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environment organisations, with over 35 member bodies representing a range of environmental interests with the common goal of contributing to a more environmentally sustainable society."

It provides a forum for its member bodies enabling informed debate, and assisting co-operation within the voluntary environmental sector. 

Pete Ritchie from Scottish Environment Link says the benefits of CAP have been to keep more people on the land.

Mr Ritchie says it has reduced innovation in farming.

He says there should be a shift to public money for public goods.

He says the top quarter of farms are actually doing "ok" but the money should go into more rural development.

"We recognise the industry needs time to adapt," he says. 

Image source, Thinkstock

Jonnie Hall from NFU Scotland says the reliance on support payments must diminish in the long term.

Mr Hall says we are going into a very new operating environment and how we manage the change is critical.

"The last thing agriculture needs is any chaos", he says.

Andrew Midgley from Scottish Land and Estates says "we should maintain support for farms" and he says "we wouldn't want to see any radical change".

Image source, NFU Scotland

From the NFU Scotland website, external :

NFU Scotland promotes and protects the interests of its members by influencing government, the supply chain and consumers in order to secure a sustainable future for Scottish agriculture.

NFU Scotland, together with NFU England and Wales and the Ulster Farmers' Union, jointly fund an office in Brussels.   

NFU Scotland's Brexit goals for a sustainable and profitable agricultural sector.  , external

Greens MSP John Finnie asks about financial support to farming and Common Agricultural Payments (CAP). 

Mr Finnie asks what the benefits of CAP. 

Jonnie Hall from NFU Scotland says support payments under CAP have been vitally important for farming.

Mr Hall says there is an opportunity to recast agricultural support in Scotland. 

He says direct support payments are "critical" to many agricultural businesses and he would not like to see a change to this because it could threaten those businesses. 

Farmland sales are continuing to suffer as a result of uncertainty about the future of subsidies, according to surveyors.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said survey evidence suggested there had been more than two years of falling land prices.

It said this had also been partly caused by low commodity prices.

Image source, Thinkstock

The evidence also suggested there were expectations of the declining market to continue for at least another year.

RICS called on the government to "rural-proof" policy, to protect the farming and forestry sectors against change.

Although the price slide began long before the European referendum, the survey evidence pointed to Brexit as a key source of uncertainty around land purchase.

Image source, bbc

Committee convener Edward Mountain asks the witnesses and MSPs to introduce themselves.

The Secretary of State for Scotland has given an "absolute guarantee" that the Scottish Parliament will get more powers as a result of Brexit.

David Mundell made his pledge during Scottish Questions in the Commons.

The response came after the SNP's Angus Robertson pressed both Mr Mundell and Prime Minister Theresa May about powers over agriculture and fisheries.

Image source, PA

It is "vital" for farming powers are transferred from the European Union direct to Holyrood, Nicola Sturgeon told the National Farmer's Union in February. 

The first minister told the NFU Scotland conference that agriculture was more important to the Scottish economy than that of the UK.

She said future decisions must reflect "Scotland's distinct priorities".

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson told delegates that "we are moving toward a system of shared power in the UK".