How island farmers learned the true value of an SNP ‘promise’ in just two weeks

The scheme was a great idea in concept and everyone – myself included – was happy to welcome it in June when it was announced. Bringing in a little extra money ought to have been an easy win.

Two weeks on from that announcement, however, the FFIS funding boost looks less like cunning PR spin and more like a “too little, too late” attempt to head off a looming PR disaster. The delivery of the scheme has turned out to be a shambles, and the many island farmers who applied and were rejected for no clear reason have quickly learned the true value of an SNP promise.

READ MORE: How two-faced SNP have short-changed Northern Isles fishermen for years

SNP blame nasty Westminster again

Island crofters and farmers were specifically supposed to benefit, according to the Scottish Government. In practice, however, Orkney businesses were awarded less than 3.5 per cent of the funds, Shetland 1.9 per cent, and the Western Isles a princely 0.2 per cent. Call me picky if you like – but if you are going to say that this programme is aimed at small farmers and crofters in island communities then surely we can do better than this.

In the wake of all this, I was somewhat surprised on Tuesday to hear SNP farming minister Jim Fairlie on local radio claiming that the scheme was in fact very good and well designed – it just didn’t have enough money in it.

Apparently the problem is because of the nasty people in the UK Government (stop me if you’ve heard this before). To hear it from Mr Fairlie – and flying in the face of the funding boost already announced a few weeks ago – there is no way to put more money into the scheme or fix the seeming unfairness for island farmers, unless the UK Government boosts the SNP’s budget.

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SNP to raid farmers’ funds?

That is, of course, nonsense from start to finish. There has never been anything stopping the Scottish Government from increasing agriculture funding of all sorts, if they so wished. If anything, the fear for farmers and crofters has always been that the SNP will “borrow” farm funds to pay for their pet projects, as they have done in the past.

The SNP raided part of the agriculture fund just two years ago to paper over cracks in their budget. Until recently they were restricted from doing this more widely because agricultural funds were ringfenced. With that barrier now removed, there is every reason to believe they will do the same again, given the chance.

That is why we have a right to be sceptical about the reasons for island farmers being short-changed again. Cock-up is always more likely than conspiracy, but the outcome is what matters.

The FFIS funds could have made a real impact for a lot of farmers and crofters, and for the wider island community. Instead a shiny SNP promise has turned into another missed opportunity.

Alistair Carmichael is the Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland