Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Ground work: Douglas Ross promises agricultural policy blueprint within 100 days

Peterhead harbour. Mr Ross has vowed to support Scotland's fishing and farming communities.
Peterhead harbour. Mr Ross has vowed to support Scotland's fishing and farming communities.

Douglas Ross has said the Conservatives would consult on a blueprint for Scotland’s new agricultural policy within 100 days of the election.

The pledge is contained in his party’s “rural manifesto”, alongside promises to protect town centres, grow businesses and tackle the housing crisis.

Mr Ross said farmers had waited too long to hear the SNP’s post-Brexit plan to replace Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy.

The Moray MP vowed that his party would work with the sector to develop a scheme that “allows farmers to farm, prioritises simplicity and supports Scotland’s diverse farms and crofts”.

Douglas Ross agricultural

The Scottish Government’s Rural Economic Secretary, Fergus Ewing, has said he hopes to introduce an Agriculture Bill to Holyrood during the next parliamentary session.

“Our plan is to proceed with continuing to provide financial support to farmers beyond 2024 but with green strings attached,” said Mr Ewing in February.

‘Rural areas must not be left behind’

However, Mr Ross said: “Scotland’s rural communities have been neglected by the SNP for too long.

“They have been held back by poor infrastructure, diminished services and a lack of clarity for farmers – this must change now.

“Rural areas must not be left behind as Scotland recovers from Covid-19, so we have set out plans to spread economic growth and improve public services.”

Douglas Ross agricultural
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross.

Policies include investing £550 million in “Community Investment Deals” worth up to £25m each, as well as scrapping parking charges, giving communities first ‘right to buy’ when local businesses close, and establishing a development agency, similar to Highlands and Islands Enterprise, for every region.

Mr Ross said his party would reopen the Young Farmers and New Entrants Start Up Grants as well as the New Entrants Capital Grant Scheme.

Sentences and penalties would be reviewed to ensure rural crime “is treated with the magnitude it deserves”, while an independent “farm to fork” study of Scotland’s food policy would be carried out to inform a new National Food Strategy.

We would also take action to tackle rural crime and support the fishing and farming communities who are the bedrock of our rural areas.”

The Scottish Conservative leader said: “From rolling out full fibre broadband to ensuring councils receive fair funding, the Scottish Conservatives will give rural areas the support they need to thrive.

“We would also take action to tackle rural crime and support the fishing and farming communities who are the bedrock of our rural areas.

“I am committed to putting a stop to the SNP’s centralisation agenda and representing rural communities, so their voices are heard and their needs are met.”