Dave Thompson MSP

SKYE, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Dave Thompson has called on people in the local agriculture sector to have an input to consultation on proposals to reform the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), launched this week.

Interested parties can access details of the proposed reforms and submit their comments online or request paper copies of these documents [details in notes below]. The consultation follows a national series of roadshows, at which attendees were able to learn more about the proposed reforms. Mr Thompson stressed that the reforms have a potential impact for the agriculture and food sectors in his Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency and farther afield.

"It is vital that the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy delivers what we need - a fair, flexible system that targets support at active farmers, allowing them to continue producing quality food and managing our magnificent countryside," he said.

"Ensuring we get a fair deal is crucially important, especially for our farmers and wider rural communities and that is why the Scottish Government has been in talks to ensure that those who are going to feel the effects of the future CAP have the chance to air their views. The consultation which is now launched is an important part of this process and follows hard on the heels of the CAP reform information roadshows. I know that many people appreciated the opportunity to have the proposals, and their potential implications for this area, explained so clearly."

The online consultation has been divided into smaller sections to make submitting responses simple. This will be followed by a second consultation process which will go into more detail about how a reformed CAP should be delivered in Scotland.

Notes:

The consultation is available online at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/01/7299

Direct links to the online consultation are available here: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/01/7299/4

For paper copies of the consultation, please call: 0300 244 9254.

The latest information on CAP reform is available at www.scotland.gov.uk/capreform, by signing up for the rural newsletter or following the Scottish Government CAP reform blog:

http://blogs.scotland.gov.uk/cap-reform/

A four-part podcast which outlines the details of the European proposals and their impact on Scotland is available to download at: http://soundcloud.com/scotgov/sets/cap-refom/

A powerpoint presentation, which can be viewed alone or in conjunction with the podcast, is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/Agriculture/CAP/cap-resources