WHITEFORD RAISES DRACONIAN FARM PENALTIES IN COMMONS

Banff & Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has raised the issue of draconian farm penalties in the House of Commons.

The SNP MP was speaking during DEFRA Questions, where Minister of State Jim Paice MP agreed that the penalties which could be imposed are out of all proportion.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Dr Whiteford said:

“One of the main issues that is raised repeatedly with me by farmers is the whole issue of cross compliance and the very heavy penalties farmers face for very minor infringements of no material consequence whatsoever, and does the Minister share my view that these penalties are out of all proportion, and will he raise it with the Commission as a matter of urgency.

Responding, DEFRA Minister of State Jim Paice MP said:

“I entirely share that view that these penalties are entirely out of proportion. I have raised it with the Commission and more importantly both I and many other Ministers of Agriculture have raised it in the context of the review of the CAP which has just commenced. We have expressed firmly to the Commission that the next system of CAP must be much more simple for individual farmers and for member states to implement.

Commenting afterwards, Dr Whiteford said:

“This is a serious issue and one which is a cause for much concern amongst farmers all across Scotland.

“Some very minor mistakes indeed may lead to a huge penalty being handed down which simply cannot be justified in the overall context of the original error.

“I am encouraged by the Minister’s response but action speaks louder than words and I hope we will see real priority and progress on this issue as part of the CAP negotiations.”

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LOCAL MP HAILS BANFF CHRISTMAS EVENT

Local MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has congratulated the organisers of Saturday’s Christmas Lights Switch-On and Victorian Theme Day on a successful event.

Dr Whiteford judged the best shop window display and best dressed Victorian adult and child as part of the day’s festivities. The event, which was organised by Banff, Macduff & District Business Association and the Banff & Macduff Christmas Lights Committee drew a steady crowd of shoppers to Banff town centre.

Commenting, Dr Whiteford said:

“I was delighted to be asked to participate in the day’s activities. There were some great costumes on display as people really got into the spirit of the event.

“The organisers put in a huge amount of effort and deserve our gratitude

“The town centre is looking very festive and I hope that it will help to attract more shoppers into the town and give a boost to local businesses in the run up to Christmas.”

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WHITEFORD VOTES AGAINST TIME-CHANGE PLAN

Banff & Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has today condemned proposals to change daylight savings time after Tory, LibDem and Labour MPs backed a Private Members Bill which seeks to leave Scotland with darker mornings.

The Bill, which now moves to Committee stage, would require the UK Government to conduct a cross-departmental analysis of the potential costs and benefits of advancing time by one hour for all, or part of, the year. If this analysis found that a clock change would benefit the UK, the Bill requires that the Government initiate a trial clock change to determine the full implications.

Speaking in the House of Commons earlier today during the debate, the Banff & Buchan MP referred to the dangers of roads remaining icy for longer as a result of the time change. She said:

“The benefits of the measure are rather untested and are outweighed by the dangers of driving in hazardous conditions, which have not been properly considered. Some of the evidence we have heard demonstrates that the methodology is rather flawed and the evidence is incomplete.

“The other factor that has not been considered is that, when the experiment took place in the 1960s, road fatalities in the North of Scotland did, indeed, increase. That happened despite the fact that, during the same period, speed limits, drink-driving legislation and seat belts were introduced. Unless we believe that none of those measures had any impact on road safety, we have to take some of the evidence on road safety with a big pinch of salt. Early mornings are a hazardous time to be on the roads. We cannot just isolate the one issue of darkness and extrapolate from that without considering the wider context.”

Commenting afterwards, Dr Whiteford said:

“The progress of this Bill is literally a wake-up call to the prospect of dark mornings for everyone north of Manchester, and has been pushed through by MPs from the south with no regard to the impact these changes would have on the quality of life for people in the north.

“The evidence put forward supporting this change is dubious at best and the proponents of this Bill have ignored the sound reasons why this change was abandoned after being trialled in the 1970s, and more recently by other European neighbours who found that the shift had a damaging effect on safety, health, energy consumption and commerce.

“This change would be acutely felt in Scotland, raising real safety and quality of life concerns, and this is now a real test for the Tory Government and its claims of a respect agenda for Scotland. It is also outrageous that this step is being taken without any consultation with the devolved administrations.”

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WHITEFORD LEADS WESTMINSTER DEBATE AHEAD OF EU TALKS

Leading the fisheries debate in Westminster today, SNP Westminster Fisheries spokesperson Eilidh Whiteford MP said that the fishing industry must at last be treated as a serious political priority by the UK Government.

The Banff & Buchan MP secured time in parliament for a debate on fisheries ahead of crucial EU talks, and after it emerged that no Government time was to be made available for a fisheries debate, unlike in previous years.

Dr Whiteford used the debate to call for action to end discards with a ‘catch-less and land-more’ approach which incentivises conservation and reduces discarding.

Commenting Dr Whiteford said:

“This is a crunch time for Scottish fishing and the industry must be treated as a serious political priority by the UK Government.

“With the prospects from the Fisheries Council offering a grim outlook for parts of the sector, including likely reductions in Total Allowable Catches for some of our key stocks, this debate comes at a crucial moment.

“The UK Government must finally acknowledge the abject failure of the CFP in its current form. It has failed the fishing industry, it has failed as a conservation strategy, and it’s failed our coastal communities.

“The real challenges we face now have to be seen in the context of a Common Fisheries Policy that for over 30 years has been systematically damaging our marine ecosystems, eroding the livelihoods of fishermen, and is inconsistently applied across the European Union. It is simply not fit for purpose. It’s my belief that we will not realise an economically and environmentally sustainable fishing industry until the CFP is replaced with a workable model of fisheries management.

“There is a growing consensus in the fishing industry, among fishing leaders, scientists, and environmental NGOs that a Regionalised approach offers a better way forward than the one-size-fits-nobody approach we have at the moment.

“Scotland has been at the forefront of pushing alternatives to the culture of discards imposed by Europe's flawed fisheries policy that forces fishermen to dump good quality fish back overboard, dead into the sea. This is a waste of a valuable food and economic resource. Nobody gains from discards, it is an abhorrent practice that can't be tolerated.

“This is a consequence of a European policy that determines quotas and catches based on what is landed rather than what is caught. It is why, in Scotland, have been saying that the way forward must be to 'catch less, land more'. That is, a system where fishermen catch fewer fish in the first place, yet land more of what they do catch. It is estimated that a system of no discarding cod and haddock could add as much as £16 million to the value of North Sea fisheries.

“A priority for the upcoming EU negotiations must be extension of the catch quota scheme trial led by the Scottish Government to one where any fisherman can take part, and to benefit from an increased 'catch quota', as well as extension of the scheme to cover other stocks such as haddock, whiting and plaice.”

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