Common grazings as an environmental asset

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Common grazings as an environmental asset

• Vicki Swales
• Head of Land Use Policy

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Content

• Farming and the environment an intrinsic
  relationship
• High Nature Value farming systems
• Environmental goods and services from common
  grazings
• The policy challenge
• Potential solutions

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Ecosystem services

• Provisioning services food, fibre and timber
• Regulating services pollutant sink (e.g. carbon
  sequestration), flood control
• Supporting soil formation and retention,
  habitats, biodiversity
• Cultural services landscape character, cultural
  traditions, community identity

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Common grazings as an environment asset

• EFNCP estimate that common grazings make up
  15-20 of HNV farmland in Scotland
• Semi-natural vegetation and low stocking
  densities underpin the nature value
• Lack of research on environmental value of common
  grazings needs addressing
• RSPB analysis of livestock declines and birds
  highlights concerns

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The policy challenge

• Getting recognition of the value of common
  grazings (and HNV systems) and the benefits they
  provide
• Demonstrating that the current policy framework
  fails to support common grazings
• Identifying policy solutions and building
  widespread support for these

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Current SFP distribution
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Total approved RP and LMO spend /ha
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Vulnerable Farming Areas

• Highlands and Islands Agricultural Support Group
• Calling for recognition of the value of, and
  problems facing, VFAs
• Concerted effort to halt the decline of farming
  and crofting in the VFA using existing and future
  agriculture support measures

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CAP reform

• Move to area based support with redistribution of
  funds
• Provision for new entrants
• Use Pillar I option for areas with natural
  constraints
• Ensure increased share of EU rural development
  funds for Scotland

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CAP reform

• Ensure next SRDP (and sub-programmes) target
  support at VFAs
• Better use Less Favoured Area scheme to support
  farming and crofting in the VFA
• Ensure better targeting of LMO and RP schemes (or
  successors) to farming and crofting in the VFAs

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Conclusion

• The importance of common grazings, as part of HNV
  systems, must be recognised
• Common grazings are an environmental asset
• Current public support for common grazings is
  weak and ineffective
• CAP reform offers an opportunity to improve
  support for common grazings and sustain HNV
  farming and crofting systems
• But, not unless we make the case for it