Brian Pack was at Turriff Show to hand over what has become known as his “red tape report” to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Food, Richard Lochhead.
To give it its full title it is the “Doing Better Initiative to Reduce Red Tape for Farmers and Rural Land Managers”.
As expected, this is a serious piece of work, with 61 recommendations.
Mr Pack said it is designed to herald a “step change” in the way rules and regulations are applied.
He was, however, at pains to point out that this approach would only work if there was a greater appreciation of every aspect.
“The danger is that farmers just think about getting rid of red tape,” he said.
“It has to be about mutual understanding. The regulator needs to understand the needs of the client and the client needs to understand the needs of the regulator.
“Money put into farming has to deliver public good and EU regulations need to be respected.”
Nonetheless, there is much that can be done, believes the former chief executive of ANM Group Ltd.
One of his key recommendations is the formation of an advisory board with its own chief executive and a board of executive and non-executive directors.
Denying this was simply another layer of bureaucracy, Mr Lochhead said: “This is not just going to be another report which sits on the shelf gathering dust.
“We really need to keep up the momentum if we are to have greater strategic, operational and cultural alignment across rural affairs, food and the environment.”
The advisory board would report direct to the cabinet secretary.
As an example of how this might work, Mr Pack pointed to the necessity of having a single database containing all the details applying to a farm or rural business.
There would be common access by Government departments to this and although this raised some issues on data protection, Mr Pack was sure these could be resolved.
He also pointed to the real need for lobbying in the EU to ensure regulations emanating from Brussels were practical and relevant.
As an example of the sort of flexibility which could help, the report strongly recommends on-farm inspections need not have to be carried out with no notice except in exceptional circumstances.
“We believe there is no reason why 24 hours’ notice cannot be given,” Mr Pack said.
He also believed the challenge of persuading the EU to allow livestock movements to be notified within seven days rather than three days was worth taking up.
“Scotland had little choice but to accept three-day notification in the immediate wake of foot-and-mouth but seven days is more appropriate now apart from at critical control points (CCPs) at markets and abattoirs, which should stay as they are.”
Welcoming the thrust of the report Mr Lochhead said: “This red tape agenda is not just about reducing the unwanted burden on farmers.
“It is also about increasing efficiency and using Government resources to best effect.
“It is all about delivering the desired outcomes but it also presents opportunities for restructuring.”