Animal health budget delay bad news for Scottish farmers

NFU Scotland believes the failure to reach an agreement that would see Scotland’s animal health budgets devolved from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in April is a bad deal for Scottish farmers.

Policy for animal health and welfare in Scotland rests with the Scottish government, but the budget for the area has remained with Defra since devolution.

The Scottish government has been working with the Defra to devolve the budgets, but a statement on March 25 from the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Richard Lochheads, has made it clear that the expected settlement deadline of April 1, 2010 will not be met. It may be a further 12 months before this issue is resolved.

NFU Scotland president Jim McLaren said the announcement also comes against the backdrop of the substantial departmental funding cuts that emerged in the surrounds of the Chancellor’s budget on March 24.