20 February 2008

2 minute read

Europe

NFUS has made the point in the context of comments made by the Prime Minister at the weekend. Some subsequent press coverage has suggested that the Prime Minister was recommending that powers on agricultural diseases be returned to Westminster. In fact, during his interview on BBC Scotland’s Politics Show, he stated that this was an issue on which powers could move in the opposite direction, to Holyrood; a move NFUS is pushing for.

NFUS President Jim McLaren said:

“Devolution of animal health issues to Scotland has been a very obvious success. You need only look at an issue like TB control where we have worked closely with the Scottish Government, and the Executive before them, to develop a strategy which, by and large, has kept Scotland TB-free.

“There is a very clear argument for further powers on animal health issues to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament. As it stands, we have a perverse situation where much of the policy is under the control of Holyrood, but the spending decisions sit with Westminster. That is an unacceptable anomaly of the devolution settlement.

“Frankly, I think the Prime Minister’s remarks at the weekend have been misconstrued. Far from suggesting that animal health powers should be returned to London, in his interview, he made it very clear that this was an issue that could see further powers devolved to Scotland. Obviously, we would completely resist any attempts to see animal health policy return to Westminster; the shift in powers has to be in the opposite direction.

“Our desire to get greater Scottish control on animal health matters is also fuelled by Defra’s attitude towards cost-sharing which appears to be more about dumping cost onto the industry than developing a coherent strategy and partnership. Their latest move on bluetongue vaccination, which proposes a voluntary approach with little co-ordination, has only hardened our view on that.”

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