Just a few weeks after the AGM and annual dinner, NFU Scotland is proving that there really is no rest for lobbyists. A packed week of high-level meetings and evidence sessions saw someone from either the presidential or policy team speaking to politicians and stakeholders on behalf of Scottish farmers almost every day.
President Andrew McCornick and chief executive Scott Walker went from Birmingham to Brussels, attending the NFU England & Wales Annual Conference at the start of the week, before jetting off to Copa Cogeca to meet European Commissioner for Agriculture a Phil Hogan, along with the other UK farming union presidents.
Tuesday also saw director of policy Jonnie Hall and political affairs manager Clare Slipper attending an evidence session with the Scottish Affairs Committee, at which Hall gave evidence on the effects Brexit could have on Scottish farming, as well as launching the Union’s latest Change document, CHANGE: Why people matter to Scottish farming and food.
Hall said: “The issues highlighted in our paper impact on all Scottish agriculture – whether that is the high-value and expanding soft fruit and vegetable sectors, which is experiencing serious shortages of labour, or the vital veterinarians and staff, who are employed within abattoirs and processing facilities, supporting our world-leading red meat sector.
“Information and case studies gathered from our members underline that a substantial proportion of the Scottish agricultural workforce is made up of non-UK nationals, and continued access to this overseas supply of labour post-Brexit is absolutely critical. Those non-UK nationals work in seasonal and permanent positions are essential to the delivery of high-quality Scottish produce from field to fork.”
It was vice-president Martin Kennedy’s turn on Wednesday to provide evidence, this time to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee.
Once again looking at Brexit, Kennedy pressed how important a good trade deal will be to Scottish agriculture and was adamant that a bad deal would be disastrous for the industry.
Spring party conferences
NFU Scotland will be attending all five Scottish Spring Party Conferences this year. First up will be the Scottish Conservatives on Friday, 2 March, in Aberdeen, where we will be hosting a fringe event at 7.45-8:45am. This will be followed a week later by another fringe event at the Scottish Labour Party’s event in Dundee, at from 12:30-13:30pm.
Open position at NFU
With Andrew Bauer moving on, NFU Scotland is taking on applications for the position of environmental land use policy manager. The ideal candidate will be someone who has knowledge of the environment and land use issues that affect farmers and crofters. If you think this is opportunity for you, then go to our website for the application.
Milk policy manager needed
NFU Scotland has a second position opening up, as part of the team working on milk policy. As milk policy manager, candidates will be expected to best represent our members in order to help establish and maintain a favourable operating environment for their businesses, through the development and communication of NFU Scotland policies. Further details can be found on our website.
Complete survey
National Rural Mental Health Forum, which NFU Scotland is a member of, is asking people in rural communities to complete the Well Connected Communities Survey 2018. The Forum wants to find out more about how better support for people can be achieved, designed and delivered to rural parts of Scotland. For more information, contact RHalley@supportinmindscotland.org.uk