SNP CONFERENCE ADDRESS BY RICHARD LOCHHEAD MSP
CABINET SECRETARY FOR RURAL AFFAIRS & ENVIRONMENT
Making his key note address to the SNP Conference in Aviemore today (Saturday) the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment, Richard Lochhead MSP, said rural Scotland makes a massive contribution to Scotland and needs champions at Westminster.
Mr Lochhead said:
Introduction
Delegates – it is good to be in Aviemore.
As much as I would encourage as many of you as possible to make the short trip up to Speyside in my own constituency, I hope that you enjoy your weekend in this beautiful part of the world.
A part of the world that illustrates much of what is best in our nation.
It is not difficult to see why this is a tourist hotspot – fresh air, beautiful mountains, fantastic recreation and sports facilities and some of the tastiest food and drink in the world.
Rural Scotland and the ingredients of life
Delegates – Scotland, especially rural Scotland has an abundance of rich natural resources - resources we need to harness if we are to cope with some of the massive challenges facing Scotland, and the planet, in the 21st century.
You know, I was thinking the other day that 1990 does not seem that long ago – many of you will remember the vivid celebrations that year on our TV screens when the Baltic states emerged as free and independent countries from the ashes of the Soviet Union!
And closer to home Alex Salmond was elected SNP leader and we had another positive development that year when Margaret Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister!
20 years does not seem that long ago, and looking to the future, perhaps 2030 is not that far away!
Yet, by 2030 the world is expected to be facing enormous challenges.
Just think in 20 years time, the world’s population is projected to have increased by 50% from 6bn to 9bn.
That’s billions of more mouths to feed - and at a time when climate change means less land to produce food.
You will appreciate why your SNP Government is talking up the importance of food security.
And given that in the same timescale demand for energy is expected to increase by 45% and demand for water 30% then you appreciate why energy and water security are real issues as well!
So as a nation, the need to carefully manage and utilise our own natural resources has never been greater.
And the importance of ensuring we have the skills and industries to meet the challenges of the future has never been greater.
To provide our people with a good quality of life, we need a vibrant and successful rural Scotland fit for the 21st century.
Food and drink
Many of our national strengths have been built in rural Scotland.
National strengths like our food and drink.
Our first ever National Food Policy, Recipe for Success, is making a big difference. Demand for local food, for Scottish produce is continuing to grow even in a time of recession!
· And since May 2007 we have supported 132 organisations with £31 million funding;
· helping 200 companies access new markets;
· And we will invest a further £60 million to Scotland’s food and drink industry by 2013.
Delegates, today I can announce further help. This week the Scottish Government will launch a new toolkit for our cafes, hotels, restaurants and pubs which all have a key role in building Scotland's reputation as a land of food and drink.
This toolkit explains how to go about giving customers information on the provenance of the produce on offer.
The evidence shows that when the menu informs customers that the food on their plate is local, and Scottish, sales increase, because that’s what consumers want to hear.
Conference, this is just the latest in a series of initiatives we are introducing to build on Scotland's food revolution.
Fairer deal for Agriculture
Of course, our famous food and drink sector relies on the raw materials supplied by our primary producers.
The farmers that grow the crops and rear the livestock, the fishermen that land Europe’s best seafood and our aquaculture sector that can’t keep up with international demand.
But our farmers, and fishermen, need champions at Westminster to fight their corner.
Conference, devolution has been good for rural Scotland. But too often when you scratch the surface of devolved issues you find that many of the important decisions are still taken in London – and usually without any attention given to the consequences for Scotland.
That’s why these elections are critical.
Delegates SNP MPs ensure the voice of rural Scotland is heard in London. MPs like Mike Weir who has been steadfast in his support for rural post offices – a vital lifeline – and Angus MacNeil a powerful advocate for island communities in metropolitan London.
Over the next few years major decisions will be made that will have a lasting impact on our rural industries.
On Wednesday, I stood at the foot of Ben More by Crianlarich in the company of our sheep farmers. These farmers work day and night in often the harshest conditions and where they are few alternative employment opportunities. They produce food and they care for our landscapes.
We discussed their future and how to make the most of the natural resources all around us.
Yet, forthcoming decisions in London and Brussels will have a profound impact on their livelihoods.
Let’s take the year 2013 for example. About half way through the next UK Parliamentary term.
That year a new Common Agricultural Policy will be adopted.
Labour are arguing for Brussels to pull the plug on support for Scotland’s farmers and for the cash to be diverted to the UK Treasury with Scotland never seeing a penny. The Tories are remaining suspiciously quiet on the matter.
The SNP know how vital support is for agriculture and we’ll resist Westminster’s attempt to bankrupt Scottish farming.
That means it is vital that we elect local champions who will speak up for Scotland’s rural communities like Michael Mackenzie in Argyll and Bute and John Finnie here in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey.
More SNP MPs at Westminster means a better deal for farmers and crofters.
Strong voice for fishermen
If 2013 is a vital year for our farmers, it could be a make or break year for our fishermen and our rich fish stocks.
2013 marks the end of the current Common Fisheries Policy that has been a disaster for our fishing communities.
We have a golden opportunity adopt a new approach to fisheries policy and Scotland is leading the debate on the way forward.
But already the signs point to Labour and the Tories deserting Scotland’s fishermen.
Not only have they ruled out scrapping the CFP but London Labour are already talking about allowing other countries to buy our historic fishing rights from 2013 onwards!
Just think future generations of Scots fishermen could be frozen out of their own fishing grounds under Labour!
The SNP has a proud record in defending our fishing industry in Westminster. But the need to champion their cause has never been greater.
For the past 23 years, Scots fishermen have had a true champion in the First Minister.
And in our new Banff and Buchan candidate Eilidh Whiteford – we will have a new voice for our fishermen.
Fishing has never been a priority for Labour and never will be.
And as far as the Tories are concerned, well, fishing was certainly at the forefront of their minds when they were in power.
After all, our fishing industry was the first sacrifice the Tories willingly offered up when they joined the EEC when they notoriously labelled the industry “expendable”.
So let’s remind every Tory candidate in every coastal constituency that it was their party that betrayed our fishermen.
SNP MPs champion our fishermen, Tory MPs betray them!
Delegates, on Monday I’m off to Brussels to meet with the new Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki to put Scotland’s case to her direct.
That message will be straight forward. The Green Paper on the future of the CFP provides a once in a generation opportunity to fix fisheries policy.
We need to stop the madness of the one-size fits all fishing policy and we must stop the madness of regulations forcing the dumping of good quality fish back dead into the sea.
And I will tell her that our guiding principle throughout the discussions is that decision making must be returned to Scotland.
Where it belongs!
Our seas are vital to Scotland’s future.
And Conference, just a few days ago Scotland’s first ever Marine Bill became law.
That Act is an environmental milestone of which the SNP should be proud.
It provides a framework for the sustainable management of our seas - ensuring that the protection of our precious marine environment goes hand in hand with the growth of our marine sectors.
It is an Act that will help us harness the clean green energy that exists in abundance off our shores whilst protecting the unique habitats and wildlife that live below the waves.
Conference, we must responsibly manage our natural resources.
And not just our seas.
Our land can provide Scotland with a successful future.
Take our forests. Under the leadership of our able Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham, our forests are delivering even more benefits for our people.
They provide vital carbon sinks, helping us tackle climate change. And forestry contributes £670 million a year through timber and tourism and supports 31,000 jobs mainly in rural areas. Not least around Aviemore.
Our forest estate is contributing to our well being as a nation. Last year we launched a number of initiatives to encourage people to make the most of that resource such as the ‘Woods for Health’ and ‘Woods for Learning’ strategies.
As you can see, we are making the most of our natural environment.
And one way of protecting our environment is tackling waste.
Already, Scotland is on the way to meeting our 40% recycling target by the end of this year. And we met the 2010 Landfill Directive target 18 months ahead of schedule!
But we can and will do more. Later in the Spring we will launch the Zero Waste plan with the steps to make Scotland a zero waste society. It will be Scotland’s most ambitious waste policy ever.
It will tackle all waste streams not just households and it will accelerate our journey towards a Zero Waste Scotland.
And we are continuing to empower communities to help themselves.
We are also investing in making communities greener through the groundbreaking Climate Challenge Fund worth £27.4m that has already awarded funding to almost 200 communities the length and breadth of Scotland to reduce their carbon footprint.
Conference, we in the SNP recognise the valuable role that our communities play in managing these precious resources and protecting our environment.
At long last, after years of being ignored, Rural Scotland has a Government – and a Party - on its side.
Scotland needs a strong voice
Our rural communities have been let down, time and time again by Westminster –
the Westminster parties talk a good talk at election time but ignore rural Scotland when in office.
The Scottish Government’s track record on rural Scotland speaks for itself and we need more MPs to push our case.
Unlike the London based parties, the SNP understands rural Scotland and we are delivering for rural Scotland.
In contrast, UK Governments – whether Labour or Tory – don’t understand our needs and don’t deliver.
For instance, did you know that Scotland gets the lowest share of European rural development funding of any country – yes any country - in the EU? Lower than the other 26 member states and lower than the other nations in the UK?
Scotland gets 6 times less funding than Ireland
A £1bn Union deficit!
And we get many times less than every other similar sized country.
Put simply, the Union is costing Scotland.
So our farmers are being sold out by Westminster, our fishermen been told that they are expendable and our rural communities get the worst deal in Europe.
Yet, we have the resources to feed the nation when the world is facing food shortages, and to power our economy when other nations are running out of energy resources.
Often all that stands in our way is our nation’s lack of influence over the vital decisions that have to be taken to grasp the opportunities.
That’s why we need all these important decisions taken in Scotland and until we have that power, that’s why we need champions in Westminster.
This is a vital election coming up. It is critical that we send a strong SNP Group to Westminster to deliver for Scotland.
Delegates our environment needs champions, rural Scotland needs champions and Scotland needs champions.
Let’s send a record number of champions to Westminster on 6th May.
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