Guest blog by Andrew Stark, Land Use Policy Officer, RSPB Scotland
What is the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme?
The Agri-Environment Climate Scheme was introduced to Scotland in 2014 to help support nature and climate friendly farming methods, as part of the Scotland Rural Development Programme. Similar schemes have operated in Scotland since the mid-1980s and have played an essential role, helping both farmers and wildlife. This vital funding source provides Scottish farmers and crofters with payments for maintaining or, in some cases, changing their farming practices to benefit wildlife or the climate. Farmers apply to the Scheme and, if successful, get offered five-year agreements and receive payments annually for the activities they undertake.
Some of the ways in which AECS helps nature and our climate is by:
Curlew on an upland farm in Aberdeenshire. Image: Ian Francis (rspb-images.com)
And what was the problem?
As things stood, there was going to be no new round of AECS funding in 2021. This would have meant that the scheme was closed to new applicants and anyone with an agreement that ends this year would not have been able to renew it. Crucially, this meant that farmers and crofters who helped protect Scotland’s wildlife through the scheme would have been left in limbo. Working with farming and environmental stakeholders we called on the Scottish Government to fully reopen the scheme to ensure those vulnerable species and habitats in AECS management had a future.
So, what’s happened?
Thankfully, the Scottish Government announced at the end of 2020 that the scheme would be reopening in 2021, although not fully and with no guarantee of funding beyond this year. They also only committed to funding for specific activities, such as organic farming, managing protected areas, management for corncrakes, corn buntings and waders, slurry storage and improving public access.
Corn bunting on North Uist. Image: Tom Marshall (RSPB-images.com)
That’s great news! Right?
RSPB Scotland welcomes this commitment from Scottish Government and are pleased to see vital funding continue for several key species and habitats. However, by not fully reopening the scheme many farmers and crofters will be cut adrift from receiving the vital funding needed to deliver for nature and climate. The stricter criteria for applicants will mean that some land currently managed in AECS will drop out of management when contracts end, with negative consequences for the species and habitats protected through it.
The recently published Scottish Budget 2021-2022 also shows that the budget for AECS has been cut from £42.7m to £34.2m, which we are actively looking to reverse. There are also still unanswered questions about what future support for Scottish farming looks like. Partially opening AECS this year is helpful, but offers no longer term guarantees and will leave farmers and crofters who are protecting Scotland’s wildlife uncertain about the future.
Lapwing on machair, North Uist. Image: Jake Stephen (rspb-images.com)
What might come next?
New research from NatureScot demonstrates how farmers and crofters could be rewarded for environmental land management through a payment system that is very different to the current one. Payments would be based on delivering outcomes for nature and the climate rather than how much land is farmed. This adds to the growing evidence base that future farming policy in Scotland can work for both nature and farmers and crofters.
The recent decision around AECS, whilst positive, is not the full solution needed or the long-term commitments required to support farmers and crofters in ways that work for Scotland’s wildlife and help combat climate change. The Scottish Government needs to bring forward proposals for this as a matter of urgency as well as ensuring that the adequate money is made available to support farmers that want to take action for protecting nature on their farms and crofts.