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SCOTTISH Rural Affairs Minister Lord Sewel will today set out his vision for rural Scotland with a message of encouragement for the beleaguered farming and tourism industries.
The Minister's message is an attempt to meet the real concerns of people in rural areas. He will hail today's policy statement as a landmark document and a milestone for rural Scotland.
It will stress the need for partnership in the decision-making process and pinpoint the role of local people as the key to progress.
It will not include firm financial commitments, but Lord Sewel believes that cash from last month's comprehensive spending review should be distributed in a way that is ''sensitive'' to the needs of rural Scotland.
The policy framework is designed to place the rural agenda in its rightful place, while not provoking a city versus country battle for favoured status and cash handouts.
Lord Sewel launches the document, Towards A Development Strategy For Rural Scotland: The Framework, in Kemnay, near Aberdeen, today.
He will recognise the serious difficulties faced by many who depend on the rural economy. Only last week, Scottish farmers' representatives warned that the industry was in its deepest crisis in living memory with an expected 40% slump in net income.
Union leaders accused the Government of a ''lack of understanding or interest in our situation'' and challenged Lord Sewel to visit farms in person to appreciate the scale of the problem.
Tourism leaders have predicted a 10% drop in business this year because of the strong pound, the poor summer, and the World Cup.
The Minister will recognise that the strength of the pound, which the Government is under pressure to tackle, has had a damaging effect on some, though he will add that the bad weather has also caused problems.
A combination of those factors, he will declare, adds more urgency to the need to promote rural development and spend resources wisely.
But the key to releasing the potential that exists in the countryside will be identified as the involvement of the population, particularly where decisions are made about spending plans.
Community partnerships are thought to be the way forward and there will be an enhanced role for the National Rural Partnership to co-ordinate rural development strategy at local and national levels.
Change will not happen overnight, according to the Minister, but there is real hope that sustainable development can be achieved in rural Scotland.
The strategy is said to be a key plank of the Government's environment policy in Scotland. Further announcements are expected on the controversial issue of land reform as well as reviews of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and access to land.
The paper will be sent to more than 2000 groups and individuals involved in rural development. It has been drawn up following a consultation exercise which was launched 10 months ago.
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