Wolf Trust Sheep - Sheep Subsidies - Depredation - Highland Farming - Highland Sheep - Highland History Main Point Highland farmers get millions of pounds in subsidies from the taxpayer, so can they object if the public want a wolf reintroduction? Web Address www.wolftrust.org.uk Email Address Wolf Trust

Sheep Subsidies This page tries to answer whether livestock farmers can automatically reject a wolf reintroduction offhand or should take into consideration public opinion about wolves. Only Subsidies Keep Farms In Business Farms in the Scottish Highlands get large annual subsidies to prevent bankruptcy (Scottish Office 1998). This financial assistance to farmers on agriculturally poor land in Scotland (which includes almost all of Scotland and all the Highlands) averages £480 million a year (SEERAD 2001). Subsidies can increase farm income several-fold (Scottish Office 1998). See the table on right. Without these subsidies most farms in the Highlands would collapse because of the poor soil, inclement weather and remoteness of markets (Scottish Office 1998). The Government only gives subsidies to farmers in the belief that the money will prevent rural depopulation (Scottish Office 1998). The reasoning is that if Highland farms collapse, people in the Highlands who get their trade directly or indirectly from agriculture would suffer economic hardship, move to other regions, and the Highlands would become depopulated. Question Farmers are greatly indebted for their livelihood to taxpayers. Getting an average subsidy of about £24,000 per farm every year, can farmers reasonably object if the public (ie taxpayers) want wolves reintroduced? References Scottish Office (1998): Agriculture in Scotland. Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department. SEERAD (2001): Agriculture Facts and Figures. Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department. Scottish Office Publications. (For details of farm subsidies see "Main Direct Payment Schemes", "Aggregate Farming Income", & "Net Farm Incomes".) Page revised 2.03

Courtesy Herbweb Photo Archives Average net income of farms, & additional average subsidy to farms, on poor land in Scotland, including the Highlands, specialising in raising sheep. Year Average income per farm in £'s Average subsidy per farm in £'s 1995/6 * 12,481 23,588 1996/7 * 12,296 23,248 1997/8 * 10,284 21,317 1998/9 ** 2,500 27,200 1999/0 ** -200 24,500 2000/1 ** 300 23,800 Note that average income per farm is poor at best and drops below zero in 1999/00. Therefore most sheep farms rely mainly on subsidies to survive in business. *  Scottish Office (1998) ** SEERAD (2001)