Reduction of the sheep flock at Cultybraggan

James Irvine

Teviot Scientific, Cultybraggan Farm, Comrie, Perthshire PH6 2HX

29 Aug 05
©www.land-care.org.uk

Decisions on farm management need to be made in the wake of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that has been introduced in the UK so precipitously. The Scottish variety of this now uncommon agricultural policy (uncommon because it is applied in different ways in individual member states) means almost total decoupling of farm subsidies from production, together with a progressive reduction in subsidy each year - called modulation - whereby funds are siphoned off to support other forms of "rural development". What is called "financial discipline" is also threatened, whereby the amount of CAP subsidy available to the UK via Brussels may be further reduced if the cost of supporting the new member countries of the EU escalates beyond budget.

Belatedly, the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) established what the terms of its Land Management Contracts (LMCs) would be. After much preliminary hype - which was largely misleading - these terms do little if anything to help Scottish farming, other than to pursue "environmental" issues (1). But such environmental goodies become largely irrelevant if Scottish farming is not in itself profitable. Clearly the "green" lobby - through such bodies as Environment LINK - have been able to exert far too much influence on political policy with very little real benefit (and probably much harm) to rural Scotland as a consequence.

Figure 1:
Sorting ewes and lambs at Cultybraggan
(to enlarge - Click Here
to super-enlarge - Click Here)
Photo ©Kimpton Graphics

The empty rhetoric of Ross Finnie, SEERAD Minister (Liberal Democrat), at the SAC outlook conference in November 2004, when he talked about decoupling of subsidies from production "opening up the market" and "freeing Scottish agriculture", has been revealed as predicted for what it is (2), However hard farmers try at marketing, the prices they get for their cattle and sheep have nevertheless plummeted to disastrous levels. There is no "free market" and well does Ross Finnie know it, but little does he care. His political party is committed to getting rid of farm subsidies. Yet he and his party still want cheap food - presumably from anywhere whatever its condition or whatever the air miles on a global market. The Office of Fair Trading has been inept, With regard to food supplied to the service sector, the government has failed to implement rules allowed by the EU regarding the country of origin.

The fallacies in SEERAD thinking have even become apparent to SEERAD itself, as illustrated by the revised terms of the much trumpeted Farm Business Scheme. This was introduced in 2001 with the aim of encouraging Scottish farmers to diversify out of farming (3). Millions of pounds of available money allocated to the scheme had remained unused, but lots of farmers have left the industry. So now there is now an acute shortage of persons wanting to work on farms. Belatedly, SEERAD have now expanded the terms of this ill-conceived scheme to include projects that might actually help farms to function better, while still encouraging diversification out of farming - a real mixed message. But this latest gesture is too late in terms of planning how farms are to be managed this autumn, this winter, or even through to next spring. Farming is a business and it cannot be run on the whims of political ideology.

The weather invariably has an influence on what any particular farm can or cannot achieve. This year has been exceptional in that after a long and rather cold spring there have been six weeks of almost complete drought in this area. This has led to the biggest crop of hay that Cultybraggan has seen for many a year, but little silage and probably very little, if any, second cut of silage. For the same reason, it also looks as though in this geographical area the yields of straw from the barley crop may be well down on previous years. That all adds up to a serious shortage of winter feeding and bedding for this particular farm.

The urban-based academic rural economists - but who might enjoy the pleasures of having a second home in the countryside - may argue that farms should co-operate by buying in straw from where its is plentiful. We have all thought of that a long time ago, but the horrendous fuel costs - mostly tax - are prohibitive.

So the decision has been made to reduce the sheep flock at Cultybraggan from 442 breeding ewes to somewhere between 100 and 125. No replacements in the form of hogs or gimmers or shearling tups will be bought this year. No visit this year to the Kelso tup sales - the biggest sale of rams in Europe (4). The four tups currently on farm should be sufficient.

Instead of having a forward plan stretching for some years ahead, the farm is being pressed into planning from year to year, or even from season to season. The alternative is to capitulate to the "environmentalists" with their serious lack of knowledge about farming, dictating as to how the land is to be used, because they have gained the purse strings, at least in part by misinforming the voters through their power over the media. Scotland did not achieve its international standing for livestock by following political and minority group agendas promoted by those who know little or nothing about the subject.

People walking on the numerous rights of ways on the farm have commented with some regret on the fewer lambs that are running about. They are right. For the first time in the 17 years that I have been at Cultybraggan all the lambs have been sold off before the end of August as stores to be finished on other farms. The result is that the farm loses the satisfaction of producing a finished product that upholds the traditional quality of Scottish food, and in which it can take some pride.

Reduction in the superb herd of suckler cows on Cultybraggan is also planned. It will be the subject of a subsequent article.

In sailing terms, it is a matter of batting down the hatches until, hopefully, the political/economic debacle in this country passes, while the rest of Europe continues its farming with a more favourable breeze in its sails.

How may other farms be affected?

As the autumn advances it will become apparent whether the situation as seen at Cultybraggan is more or less reflected in other parts of Scotland, or indeed in the UK as a whole.

Remarkably, The National Trust, not an organisation renowned for its support of farming (5), has already sounded alarm bells that the rural idyll in Cumbria is in danger from a lack of shepherds (6).

Figure 2:
Blackfaced sheep on moorland Perthshire
What will the future hold for such grazings?
(To enlarge photo: Click Here
To super enlarge: Click Here)
Photo ©Kimpton Graphics

What the effect will be on the Scottish countryside remains to be seen, but the RSPB might yet rue the day they complained, sometimes with little justification, about over grazing of heather by sheep. Perhaps there may not be too many farmers who are satisfied with husbanding livestock simply to provide what are regarded as "environmental tools" by self-proclaimed "conservationists" and enthusiasts of "diversification".

Interestingly, Andrew Arbuckle, previously farming editor of the Dundee Courier and now a listed Liberal Democrat MSP, has stated (7):

"I do not see any quick cure for the forthcoming plunge in farm output, rather the best we can hope for is a long road to recovery"

Could it be that the Liberal Democrats at least may be seeing the error of their ways, while their Labour partners in the Scottish coalition press on regardless in misguided mode (8). But at the next election for the Scottish Parliament in 2007, the Labour and the Liberal Democrat parties are likely to want to go their separate ways. A particularly sad scenario would be if neither achieves a sufficient majority, and no other party makes sufficient progress. The minority Green party could end up with even more say, not because the voters support their cause but just because the Greens would be able to trade their votes in other important areas in order to achieve their superficially well-intentioned, but illogical and largely destructive, ambitions regarding the "environment". It would certainly be grim for farming in Scotland.

But when can we get out of the EU and its incredible bureaucracy? At least there are signs that a start has been made, when earlier this year the French said "non" and the Dutch said "ney" to the proposed European Constitution. As far as what we think in the UK, Tony Blair was too scared to ask. Rather he prefers, in the global game he likes to play, to continue to use UK agriculture as a mere pawn in the political arena.

References

1. `Irvine, James (2005). Land management contracts analysed: item 10 - biodiversity cropping on inbye. Surely the stupidest of them all.
See SOCIAL/ECONOMIC/POLITICAL Homepage, filed 14 Mar 05, www.land-care.org.uk Click Here to View

2. Irvine, James (2005). Review: SAC outlook conference "Benefiting from change" 16th November 2004, Edinburgh
See SOCIAL/ECONOMIC/POLITICAL Homepage, filed 23 Jan 05, www.land-care.org.uk Click Here to View

3. Irvine, James (2001). "New enterprises - new beginnings" Farmers workshop sponsored by SAC, Coupar Angus
LandCare Scotland: Vol 1, pp 45- 50.

4. Irvine, James (2003). Kelso ram sales. What to buy?
See FARM Homepage, filed 14 Sep 03, www.land-care.org.uk Click Here to View

5. Irvine, James (2005). Fury with The National Trust as it plans to break up historic farm in the Lake District.
See ENVIRONMENT Homepage, 29 Jan 05, www.land-care.org.uk Click Here to View

6. Editorial (2005). Some conservationists wake up to the fact that "environmental" agendas may not be good for conservation.
See ENVIRONMENT Homepage, 13 Jul 05, www.land-care.org.uk Click Here to View

7. Arbuckle, Andrew (2005). Celebrity chefs could be the salvation of farming industry.
The Courier, 22 August 2005 See www.thecourier.co.uk

8. Irvine, James (2003). Sustainability in agriculture. Comment on Professor Hillman's director's report, Scottish Crop Research Unit.
See ENVIRONMENT Homepage, 07 May 03, www.land-care.org.uk Click Here to View

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