Speech – Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment 10:30 Saturday 19 October, Perth Good morning Conference, Welcome to today’s big speech! Or maybe I’m just one of the warm up acts for our First Minister. But let me tell you its an absolute honour to work alongside the First Minister, to serve this great Party, and Scotland, as a member of the Cabinet! After 300 years of political union our movement has come a long way in a short space of time. Now we have our date with destiny: September 18th 2014. All across the land our fellow citizens are discussing and debating our country’s future – in pubs, at the breakfast table, in the workplace. One thing that encourages me enormously is the chorus of new, fresh voices engaging in the biggest debate our country has conducted in our lifetimes. There is a reservoir of talent in Scotland - bright, positive voices coming forward and ready to be nation builders. On social media, in TV & radio debates and public events. Shaping the future. When I hear these voices imagining new futures, the new paths we can follow, I am filled with hope and excitement. And Conference, doesn’t their vision, enthusiasm & positive outlook contrasts sharply with the put downs and vision vacuum of the No parties? I am proud that I joined this Yes Party. And we always remember the many good people who came before us and who carried the flame for our cause in the early days. A lot has happened since then, much has been achieved. And the world in which we live has become unrecognisable. Just think in 1945 the UN had 51 founding members. Today, the UN has 193 members. In between times, nations of all sizes have evolved and reinvented themselves to secure better futures. That’s what we are set to do in our country.. Conference, the UN will soon have 194 members as Scotland takes our place in the family of independent nations. And many UN members are small successful nations. Some of our close neighbours are the most successful. This year, Norway was declared the country with the best quality of life. Sweden was named the worlds most sustainable nation And Denmark was crowned the worlds happiest country! All small northern European nations, just like us. So just think it’s smaller, nimble, resource-rich countries with focussed priorities – and the power to act on those priorities - that top the worlds league tables for quality of life, happiness and sustainability. So let us tell our fellow citizens: We can do the same! And in 2014, Scotland’s internationalism will shine as we host the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup. I was here in Perthshire only a few days ago at an event to celebrate the Ryder Cup and the Green Drive which is the campaign to ensure that this great global sporting event leaves behind an environmental legacy.. Perthshire sums up what is great about Scotland. A spectacular natural environment, great cities and vibrant rural communities. Since we met here last year, Environment Minister Paul Wheelhouse and myself have been supporting our rural communities and our country’s outstanding natural environment. I want to thank Paul for his efforts and also our parliamentary liaison officer Angus MacDonald MSP and Chair of the Rural Affairs Committee Rob Gibson MSP. Your Government is working hard with our communities to deliver success at home and abroad. Rural Scotland is overflowing with entrepreneurial talent and our strong rural sectors will help Scotland flourish under independence. Take food and drink. Before we came to office, our food and drink industry never got the support it deserved. But we have made it an absolute priority. And this key sector is breaking all records. Exports up by half since we took office, and growth targets achieved six years early. I could go on. More people at home and abroad enjoying Scotland’s larder more than ever. The ground breaking national policy we introduced has helped drive this great industry forward. And the fantastic produce used by top chefs like Andrew Fairlie up the road at Gleneagles depends on the outstanding raw materials supplied by our farmers, crofters and fishermen. I had to laugh when UK Secretary of State Owen Paterson said last week that an independent Scotland would never be able to promote our produce overseas with the same conviction as the UK Government. Well I’ve got a message for Owen Paterson – when I am overseas I am constantly told that we have the best beef, salmon and whisky in the world. What promotes our food and drink industry abroad is the reputation and quality built up over generations by hard working and talented people and companies. Not politicians in London that make fleeting visits to Scotland. Conference, we absolutely must remain a food producing nation to ensure food security for our people. With the world’s population set to increase from 7.2 billion today to 9.6 billion by 2050, and Scotland’s population now growing, we need to protect our primary producers or well lose the ability to produce food. That was certainly my priority during the recent negotiation of Europe’s new Common Agriculture Policy. But it wasn’t Owen Paterson’s priority. I argued for a greater share of Europe’s farming and rural budgets for Scotland. Owen Paterson argued for less. At one point, he even argued for no budget because he wanted the free market to reign supreme even if it meant a slow and painful death for Scottish agriculture. Try telling the hill farmer on Mull or the crofter on Skye who couldn’t compete without public support. Today, I am publishing information that highlights why the UK Government has once again let rural Scotland down. These EU funding league tables show how the UK Government negotiated Scotland down to the bottom in negotiations. Scotland went into the negotiations with a pitiful 3rd lowest level of farm support in Europe – Europe then agreed a formula to close the gap between the countries with lowest payments with those of the highest. Scotland has now been leapfrogged by Latvia and Lithuania whose Ministers sit at the top table and make their farmers a priority. Now Conference we are stuck at the bottom of the league. We didn’t benefit from the new funding formula because it only applies to member states. And the UK Government refused to seek a fairer share of the budget for Scotland. As a result, our farmers have lost out big time - indeed, to the tune of a massive £850m. It’s not just the farming budget that suffers under the UK Government; our wider rural budgets suffer too. In the same negotiations, 16 out of the 28 countries negotiated an uplift in their rural development budgets. The UK Government didn’t lift a finger for Scotland – the country with the lowest share of that fund in Europe. So what did the UK deliver for Scotland? £850m lost to Scottish agriculture. Hundreds of millions more lost to our wider rural communities. A disastrous double whammy for Scotland. UK Ministers turning down investment to create thousands of new jobs, protect our environment and improve the quality of life for rural Scots. Conference, the No campaign tell us we need to be part of big UK to get a good deal for Scotland. That we’re better together. Well these tables tell us they couldn’t do any worse. Delegates, independence will deliver huge dividends for our farmers and rural Scotland. Imagine what we could achieve if we represented ourselves in Europe. Representatives working for Scotland, not against Scotland. But it’s not just farming that Scotland should be concerned by Owen Paterson and the UK Government. A few weeks ago at the Tory Party Conference, Mr Paterson who is also Environment Secretary was ridiculed after saying climate change had a positive side. This is the man who should be at the forefront of efforts to tackle climate change. Scientists have again highlighted the need for action and Scotland is playing our part and we’re already half way towards our target of 42% emissions reductions by 2020. But the UK’s target is 34% by 2020 and Europe’s is only 20%. Conference, instead of Mr Paterson talking about the positives of climate change, he should be increasing the UK target to match Scotland’s ambition and arguing for the EU to do likewise. All of this shows us that it doesn’t pay to let others with different priorities to negotiate on our behalf. The fact is we need to be represented in the heart of international decision making. On Thursday, I was in Luxembourg at the latest fisheries council. European negotiations are vital to the wellbeing of our fishermen. We’ve come a long way since 2007 – our fishermen who land the best seafood in the world have blazed a trail for fisheries conservation, Stocks are recovering, and the recent CFP reform, although far from perfect, delivers some regionalisation for the first time in 30 years and agreement to phase out the scandal of fish discards. And on Thursday, I had my first meeting with the new UK fisheries minister – the 5th UK fisheries minister to come through DEFRA’s revolving door I’ve had to deal with. Once again, a new fisheries minister to get to know, messages on key Scottish issues to get across. And once again, I made the request to speak at the Fisheries Council on our interests like the mackerel dispute – where we hold 75% of the UK quota and are the EU’s largest shareholder. Once again, the UK said no. So, Scotland’s fisheries minister in his 7th year in the job, stopped from speaking by a UK fisheries minister barely 7 working days in the job. Conference, when the UK took our fishermen into the despised CFP, it described the industry as “expendable”. Our fishing industry has suffered more than most under Westminster rule. But under independence it has much to gain. Our fishing communities will be regarded as “invaluable” not “expendable” – and be protected by our independent Parliament, not traded away by Westminster. Westminster has left our fishermen and farmers with an abysmal legacy. But we need to retain our food producing skills – men and women to work the land and harvest our seas. And we are so lucky to have a rich natural environment to support these industries. And I was delighted to hear RSPB research tell us that Scots children are more connected to nature that elsewhere in the UK – something we have been supporting. We are funding countryside visits for schools, woodlands for towns and now we’re developing a Scandinavian style hutting policy to enable more visits to the countryside. And when it comes to connecting people with the land, and their heritage, the SNPs programme of land reform has a huge role to play. Conference, our concentrated pattern of land ownership can block rural development and empowerment. And concentrated land ownership means concentrated wealth and power. Thats why the First Minister recently announced that we want to see a million acres of land in community ownership by 2020 - double todays level. Its why we reinstated the Scottish Land Fund to back communities that want to more of a say over their destinies. The Land Reform Review Group reports in April and we look forward to their recommendations. In the meantime, weve pledged to look at the case for the right to buy for tenant farmers on secure tenancies. And land reform issues will be included in our Community Empowerment Bill. And we’re determined to ensure publicly owned land helps empower communities and support our economy. But Conference wouldnt it be even better if the parties now in Government in London had stuck to their word and devolved the Crown Estate to Scottish control? Thats another thing a Yes vote will deliver! Connecting our people to the land is important but so is digital connectivity. Thats why the SNP Government is undertaking major investment in rural broadband. This is all part of the SNPs long term vision of making rural disadvantage a redundant phrase. But so much more would be possible if we had the necessary powers in our Parliament to deliver our vision. Take digital connectivity - we are having to catch up with other countries because of Westminster neglect. The UK target of 95% of the UK to receive superfast broadband by 2017 – sounds good - but the remaining 5% is mainly Scotland! You know Conference, surveys into the cost of living in rural Scotland usually point to issues under UK control. Fuel costs - a reserved issue. Energy policy - a reserved issue. Broadband, mobile phone reception - reserved issues. Parcel deliveries charges - reserved. And now we face the loss of our rural posties - a reserved issue. You know last week one of my local posties in Moray told me he was voting Yes next year as the only hope to save his job. Conference, hes right, the only way to guarantee the future of rural postal services is to vote Yes! We need all these powers not sitting in London but available to us here in Scotland. We can then sit down together to plan a Rural Renaissance! Conference, it’s all about priorities. I dont actually believe that many UK Ministers sit in Whitehall plotting against Scotland. But I know for certain that their energies are focussed on different priorities. In Scotland, we have the priorities but not the powers. The UK has the powers but not the priorities. Imagine the difference we could make if our people had the powers to deal with the issues they most care about. Devolution has been good for Scotland. But scratch the surface of most devolved issues and you uncover reserved powers. Fishing and Farming are devolved but many of the big decisions and the budgets are decided by UK Ministers. Rural development is a Scottish priority But EU budgets and policies, fuel prices, postal services, energy policy, telecommunications, tax policy are all reserved and so we can’t act on our priorities – and others rarely do. But on September 18th 2014, we can empower ourselves to act. To raise our living standards. Hold our heads high internationally. Put Scotland’s interests first and foremost at all times. On that date, when the polls open at 7am our nation has an unprecedented fifteen hour window of opportunity to change our destiny. A window of opportunity that we have campaigned long and hard for. Through that window we can see a better Scotland . We can see the chance to build a nation in which we are proud to live Others don’t want to look through that window. But we can see a brighter future for our children, and future generations. We can see a new beginning for Scotland – a Scotland we have never known. A Scotland full of possibilities, empowered to build a better society. An independent Scotland. Thank you.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 13:02:23 +0000
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