Scotland should stop direct payments to farmers and fund public goods, MPs told

“The current system of public support is area-focused, production-focused, and we need to change the definition of production and productivity to broaden it out to include public goods,” she said.

“When we do that, we see Scotland could have huge potential to deliver and develop a much more sustainable agriculture system.”

Bruce Wilson, public affairs manager at the Scottish Wildlife Trust, agreed and claimed it would be easier for politicians to sell agriculture spending linked to public goods to the taxpayer.

He also suggested a public money for public goods scheme would help Scottish farmers to stay in business after Brexit.

Food

“If we do not look after the natural ecosystems which underpin our agriculture ecosystems, we will struggle to have a sustainable food sector going forward,” he said.

“There is some genuine concern about food security underpinning this. Diverting public money to public goods does not preclude the ability to farm. It actually supports it, and it allows businesses to diversify.”

The environmental groups were giving evidence to MPs shortly after farming bodies issued a plea for the Scottish Government to ‘move on’ with developing a post-Brexit policy.

Jonnie Hall, director of policy at NFU Scotland, led the calls during a previous Scottish Affairs Committee hearing in January, though he said he would ‘not suggest for a minute’ that Scotland should go down the same route as England.