Cattle are inside for half the year in Scotland, so making the most of sheds is vital. Many cattle are outwintered or left out until spring calving. I speak to many farmers who look green-eyed at farms which can support outwintered stock and their associated lower costs. But for most cattle farmers it’s not always possible. The jealously soon subsides at the thought of going out in the driving hail to feed the cattle, especially when they are in the field that only the bike is fit to cover. One thing both systems have in common is the challenge of a Scottish winter.

As shown in the AHDB horizon document this week, beef farmers may see their support payments swiftly cut, affecting the bottom line. NFU Scotland suggests this fall in farm income may be made up through a productivity or innovation scheme. If this were to happen, the improvement and building of sheds should be an option.

Replacing support funding with smaller items like a new cattle crush or performance-recording equipment will offer a nice bonus. But if the change is swift these will be far from sufficient to plug the gap. Change is inevitable and all family farms do it. It’s if the change comes too quick that businesses flounder.

Therefore, large-ticket items such as sheds or major upgrades need to be an option on the table for post-CAP support. Farmers should be able to spread any support options over a number of years to be able to make real investment for the future.

Kitting out the Scottish beef sector in more modern winter housing would have a dramatic impact on our national efficiency. I spoke recently to a farmer who houses 100 cows in the new shed and 100 in the old byre. The new shed is fed in an hour in the morning and the rest of the day is spent traipsing around with buckets, bags and brushes. It would reduce costs in the long run as inputs were more efficiently used.

The next generation would be supported through grants for housing. Farms would find it easier to grow to a size to include new partners. Plus youngsters starting out can build a business doing the hard job of calving cows in a new shed alongside an established farmer wanting the easier option of summer grazing cattle.

All types of housing

As the AHDB paper shows, there could be a boom in demand for pigmeat and chicken consumption is unlikely to falter in the coming years. Therefore, housing support for other sectors would dovetail with post-Brexit demands.

Welfare improves through proper housing. And critically this is not just the livestock – farmers’ jobs would be far less risky too.

Viewers of Blue Planet II won’t need reminding of the changes in the world’s climate. With climate to the fore of the minds of voters, it is unlikely that the politicians will allow any let up in the charge to reduce carbon. Including shed building in future support schemes would go a significant way to meeting targets at a stroke.

I appreciate it is harder to build new sheds on rented farms. Some farmers would struggle to draw down funds. I hope the Land Reform changes achieve their plan to improve relations between landlord and tenant. If successful then a practical discussion can occur around waygo, critical for shed building.

We know that the future for food producers in a country which has long winters and falling support payments is going to be a challenge. But failure if far from inevitable. A big step needs to be equipping farmers with the tools to be world competitors.