Will the government put their money where their mouths are?

I’m predicting there will be a lot of questions to minister for agriculture and connectivity Jim Fairlie asking for more money for agriculture, and a lot of answers from him saying he is on our side and would love to support us, but it all depends on how much is allocated to Scotland from Westminster in the Budget. This was the response a combined meeting of producer organisations including East of Scotland Growers, Scottish Borders Produce, and Angus Growers received a few weeks ago from the minister when we pointed out how vital support for POs is for the future of fruit and veg production in Scotland.

The Scottish Government have much to do to rebuild trust in the farming industry that whatever Labour allocates to agriculture for Scotland next week comes to agriculture intact and unpillaged. Money allocated from the UK Government for agriculture has a recent history of disappearing in transit, although I understand £15m of the £61m missing Bew money has come back into the fold.

So we must wait a few more days to hear the Budget which will be crucial to how farmers in Scotland perceive this Labour government. How are Labour doing three months in?

Firstly, there is a welcome change in tone from the old government. If Johnson and Truss were Cavaliers (not so much Sunak), Starmer is definitely a Roundhead. There is much less Flash Harry and a lot more Boring Desmond, which might not be for everyone, but I suspect for the bulk of Scotland’s more Presbyterian population is a welcome change, provided you don’t pay for your children’s education.

The hymns might be more rousing in an Anglican church, but sensible Scots are careful to keep their emotions in check and not get carried away by anything as reckless as enthusiasm.

In any case, there has been little to be enthusiastic about so far. Even the free junkets received by Labour politicians have been small beer compared to the Conservative excesses of old, and Conservative newspapers piling in with faux outrage have failed to move public opinion that this new government needs to be given a chance to turn things around.

Labour have already warned repeatedly that there is a huge hole in the finances, so we all wait with baited breath to see what cuts might befall the agriculture budget.

Noises in the undergrowth suggest that the fear of Agriculture Property Relief being stopped is unfounded, which will be a huge relief to many if correct. Otherwise, it will be a complete disaster for many small and medium family-owned farms, where the capital value of the land bears little relation to its earning capacity.

Labour have also clearly stated the importance of food security, and have committed to supporting food production, though there is not a lot of meat on the bones yet. Public procurement is on their list, and while that is as it should be, it only accounts for 5.5% of food consumed in the UK.

At least if they get a grip of it in schools, hospitals and prisons, promoting healthy eating there, they might start shifting the dial on the health of the nation, which is the single biggest thing holding the UK back right now.

Most food consumed in the UK reaches the public via the big supermarkets, and my brother Lochy was speaking at the NFUS autumn conference this week about selling soft fruit to supermarkets, something that he does very successfully via Angus Soft Fruits, which he and his wife Debbie were instrumental in setting up 30 years ago with the support of my father and his cousin, James Gray.

Newly returned home from university, I was the lowly secretary. ASF remains one of the largest soft fruit marketing groups in the UK, and the use of integrated pest management and other techniques have massively increased the efficiency and reduced the impact on the environment of growing soft fruit. However, margins have become increasingly tight over the years, and the rewards no longer look very exciting when weighed against the many big risks, particularly when you are lying in bed on a Sunday night, fearfully listening to a howling gale and hoping your uninsured and uninsurable polytunnels will still be standing in the morning.

Lochy outlined discussions that have been taking place with at least one retailer to try to establish a more sustainable longer-term relationship, and the initial signs are hopeful.

Scotland’s soft fruit growers could not have built their businesses to the level they have without supermarkets, so we need them in the long term, but the relationship needs to be a nurturing, not an abusive one, and individual growers on their own are more likely to be picked off.

This is the main reason why support for fruit and veg production needs to be targeted towards producer organisations, rather than individual growers, and I hope that the Labour Budget and then the Scottish Agriculture Bill will recognise that, and direct whatever funding there is for fruit and veg towards more co-operation.

This is what will be most sustainable, both from a business and a biodiversity/carbon perspective.

Other early signs that farmers might not need to be unduly afraid of a Labour government is the confirmation this week that the seasonal worker scheme will continue with 43,000 visas available for horticulture and 2000 for poultry. The next step, if I was speaking to the government, would be to look for ways to reduce the cost for both worker and employer, which remains too high.

In the announcement on visas, food security minister Daniel Zeichner reinforced the government’s focus on supporting the fresh produce sector, stating: “This government recognises that food security is national security, and this can only be achieved by supporting food and farming businesses.”

Mr Zeichner has already delivered on the visas – we will know by this time next week if his government are going to put their money where their mouths are.