This year’s Oxford Farming Conference was seen to be an all-round success, with the general consensus of attendees being that the wide range of speakers produced unique insight into areas of agriculture not discussed at great lengths before.

NFU Scotland’s competition winners, Ben McClymont, Dumfries, and Jen Craig, Lanarkshire, were both left with lasting impressions and a lot of food for thought following their trip to the conference.

Ben, a final-year agricultural student at SRUC, highlighted the political perspective those attending were able to gain through the discussions and talks held by speakers like the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove.

“The Secretary of State said that the EU CAP system is fundamentally flawed and outdated,” Ben noted in his blog for NFUS.

“After Brexit, he said, ‘subsidies will become public money, for public goods’ and money will be given as an ‘investment in the protection of the environment’

“But to what extent are we going to have to ‘protect the environment’? Are we going to have to turn half of our farms into wetlands for the birds and the bees?

“I, personally, feel both statements are worrying as to the future of subsidies. Will the public support money being paid to farmers, or would they rather see that money go towards the NHS?”

The Oxford Farming Conference welcomed a range of speakers this year, including Eve Turow Paul, a journalist who has looked at the effect the millennial generation’s eating habits are having on the future of food.

Jen Craig, farmer and NFU Scotland branch chair, said: “Food is one area where the millennial generation feel they have more control compared with other aspects of their lives in the current digital age and use their chosen diet as an identity. Almost like being part of a religion, or reflecting the way that being a farmer isn’t just my career choice, it’s my identity.

“My main take-home message is that, not only is our industry currently in a period of change, but so is how the consumer looks at their food and the choices that they make for their individual diets.

“As an industry, and as individuals, we need to promote what we do. We need to shout about the good stuff, the food we produce and the environmental good that we deliver.”

TSE controls

NFU Scotland has sent a letter to Secretary of State Michael Gove, asking him to support a proposed change to European rules on TSE controls that could help strip out unnecessary costs from the sheep sector. Current controls require time-consuming and inaccurate dentition inspections of each sheep’s mouth to check for the emergence of permanent incisors. The Union is looking for flexibility in identifications.

Rugby day out

Fancy a day out to the rugby thanks to NFU Scotland? Well get over to our members discounts and services Facebook page and like/comment on the competition post, to be in with a chance of winning two tickets to the Scotland vs France match at Murrayfield on 11 February 2018.

Facebook update

As of last week, three of NFU Scotland’s regions have specially dedicated Facebook pages. Dumfries and Galloway, Ayrshire, and Argyll & the Islands, are all reachable with their own page. So, for local news in your area, join your regional page.

New role opening

NFU Mutual and NFU Scotland have an exciting opportunity for a joint role as an insurance business partner and a group secretary at our Thainstone office at Inverurie. Closing date for the applications is 25 January 2018. It is a great opportunity to join an exciting and enthusiastic team.