Farmers in Scotland 'need millions more' to tackle climate change
Millions more needs to be paid to farmers to help them tackle climate change, a farming union has urged.
NFU Scotland called for £100m of additional Scottish government funding each year.
The funds would be used to encourage farmers to plant woodlands, invest in green energy and develop schemes which cut emissions.
The union said farmers will play a "key role" in achieving net-zero emissions by 2045.
But it added using existing funding could be "highly destabilising" for the sector.
The funding would be additional to existing subsidy payments.
Last month ministers announced an initial £40m for an "Agricultural Transformation Programme" to help farmers develop low-carbon practices.
NFU Scotland president, Andrew McCornick, said: "We believe the Scottish government's agricultural transformation programme offers huge potential to deliver on environment and climate goals but to turn the ambition into a reality, the support level needs to be substantially above the £40m announced.
"Farmers and crofters must be incentivised to take up fundamental measures focusing on soils, input costs and emission reduction.
"It is essential that such actions are taken up by a much wider swathe of Scottish agriculture and that all doing so are appropriately supported."
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