It’s been a big year in Scotland for farming and nature policy. The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act was passed, which is the framework for delivering the Vision for Agriculture and its promise that Scotland is to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.  

The Programme for Government wove in action on climate and nature through three of its four priorities. And just a few weeks ago, the launch of Scotland’s Biodiversity Strategy locked in Scotland’s commitment to halting biodiversity loss by 2030 and restoring nature by 2045, with farming and crofting integrated in the Strategy and identified as key to delivering these ambitions.  

The message from the Scottish Government is clear: we need nature to help solve the climate and nature crises and we need farmers and crofters to help. Yet over recent weeks, farmers and crofters have been dismayed by changes to taxation rules and budget cuts, and have taken to the streets in protest.  

Farming and crofting can help defend the agriculture budget by delivering more public goods, from nature restoration and emissions reductions to clean water and natural flood management. Whilst 85% of the Scottish public want more spending on farming to support methods that restore nature and tackle climate change alongside producing food, current Scottish Government plans for agricultural support do not adequately reflect their ambitions for nature restoration or reducing emissions.   

The Agricultural Reform Plan and Route Map sets out how the Scottish Government intends to transition away from the Common Agricultural Policy and proposes that future farm support payments are based on four “Tiers”. There are opportunities across each Tier – and indeed across all farming systems – for environmentally sensitive management to be rewarded.  

Our deep dive blog explores some of these opportunities for the introductory payments – known as the Base Tier. This should concern everyone as a taxpayer given the sizeable budget and its potential to impact climate, nature and landscapes. If you don’t have the time to dig into the detail of our deep dive, we’ve provided a quick summary below.

Riparian woodlands act as an effective buffer between watercourses and agricultural land. © Stephen Talas

The new Base Tier is almost identical to the existing main payment scheme, the Basic Payment Scheme, and will remain in place until at least the end of 2027 with some additional requirements. Under the Basic Payment Scheme, in exchange for a payment based on the area of land which is actively farmed, farmers and crofters must comply with certain laws called cross compliance, which include requirements called Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions and Standard Management Practices. These rules are particularly important for managing diffuse pollution and the quality of freshwater environments.  

Greening is another requirement of the Basic Payment Scheme and includes protecting environmentally sensitive grassland, growing a minimum number of crops and farming 5% of the farm’s arable area in a manner that promotes biodiversity – known as an Ecological Focus Area.  

We propose that making changes to the requirements for receiving payments in the Base Tier and Tiers 2 and 3 could make a real difference to environmental outcomes. The Scottish Wildlife Trust have a particular interest in riverbank (or riparian) management, as these habitats are important for so many species – from otter and osprey to water vole, salmon and beaver. They also provide a huge range of wider benefits to society such as flood management. We therefore focus our suggestions on changes to Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions, Standard Management Practices and Greening for this type of habitat (including widening the required width of riparian habitat to at least six metres rather than its current two metres). We also propose appraising the two voluntary codes of practice on using plant protection products (such as pesticides) and preventing water courses from agricultural pollution, to see whether they could be integrated into the Base Tier as a requirement.

We suggest that the purpose of the new requirement in the Base Tier for Whole Farm Plans and inclusion of a biodiversity audit is more clearly explained, and a more urgent timeline is introduced. The requirement to have only completed a basic habitat map by May 2028, just 18 months from the deadline of halting of biodiversity loss by 2030, is sending a weak message and is not coherent with the Government’s new Biodiversity Strategy.

Finally, we propose that the Scottish Government rethink its decision on the funding allocation of 70% for the Base Tier and Enhanced Tiers and that by 2028, at least 75% of the farm budget should be spent supporting nature and climate friendly farming to achieve the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture. 

If you would like to learn more, do have a read of our briefing – and look out for our next blog and briefing on the Elective and Enhanced Tiers where we’ll be taking a deeper dive into riparian zones, including how agriculture support can help manage invasive species and woodlands.  

This blog was written by Ellie Brodie in collaboration with the Scottish Wildlife Trust. 

Ellie Brodie is a policy analyst and researcher with a background in environment, agriculture and rural development policy. She is the Director of Grounded Insight and is currently working with colleagues at Scottish Wildlife Trust to provide insight on developments in agriculture policy in Scotland.

Header image © Maximillian Stoll