National Farmers Union of Scotland news

National Farmers Union of Scotland news from around the country this week.

Contributor

13 December 2017

The Presidential and Policy are back on the road, not long after finishing the roadshows, this time right in the thick of the branch AGMs. This week saw Andrew McCornick, Gary Mitchell, Martin Kennedy, and members of the Policy team make the rounds to Blairgowrie, East Lothian, Perth, Kintyre, Dumfrieshire, Forth Valley, and Forth & Clyde.

Christmas jumper day at NFUS HQ was also marked with a hotly contested curry competition, expertly judged by Vice President Martin Kennedy. After trying ever curry (twice) Mr Kennedy deemed Dumfries and Galloway Regional Manager Teresa Dougall’s nutty beef massaman as the worthy winner. Donations from the day raised £125 for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance - SCAA.

The North East Advisory Group was hosted in Aberdeen this week with Chair Bill Howatson organising discussions on education and skills, Women in Agriculture, and proposed new dairy plant.

NFU Scotland’s New Gen Working Group met this week at Rob Niven’s farm restaurant/shop Loch Leven’s Larder. Mr Niven was a guest speaker at the meeting and discussed his life in farming, giving an insight into his experiences. The group also discussed what they would like to see for New Gen meetings from post-Brexit policy.

Following on from the reports of trade discussions between the UK Government and Australia and New Zealand, NFU Scotland has reached out to Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox to highlight the importance of Scottish agriculture in any future deals.A letter was sent to Fox on Wednesday 6 December from NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick, asking to organise a meeting between him and the Union to discuss the possibilities moving forward in trade talks. After sending the letter, McCornick said: “Following on from the UK Government’s talks with Australian and New Zealand officials, I have extended an invitation to Mr Fox to meet with me to discuss the UK Government’s position towards future trading partners.

A letter was sent to Fox on Wednesday 6 December from NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick, asking to organise a meeting between him and the Union to discuss the possibilities moving forward in trade talks. After sending the letter, McCornick said: “Following on from the UK Government’s talks with Australian and New Zealand officials, I have extended an invitation to Mr Fox to meet with me to discuss the UK Government’s position towards future trading partners.

“We need to make sure that we are seeking the best possible deal for farmers when negotiating trade agreements with foreign nations. Food and drink is the biggest income generator to the Scottish economy, with Scotland’s farmers and crofters as the bedrock to that industry. It is vital that discussions on future trade deals do not take this for granted. I can say in no uncertain terms that the economic prosperity of the islands, villages and towns across Scotland and the UK are linked to profitable food production.

“What we are seeking as a union are international trade deals which do not undercut Scotland’s extremely high standards of production, and which allow us to maximise the provenance of the Scottish product, which is our Unique Selling Point in foreign markets. Whatever future trade deal is found for farming, food and drink, it must be bespoke to the Scottish and UK situation.

“The tenor of recent discussions with New Zealand and Australian delegates is a concern to me, I hope to discuss with Mr Fox the strong need to push for a deal which prioritises food production and directly benefits farmers and those in rural communities.”

Correct notice for LDTs

The Union is reminding members who are involved in Limited Duration Tenancies (LDTs) to be aware of their correct notice provisions for such tenancies, where they wish to terminate such arrangements. On 30 November, LDTs were superseded by the new Modern Limited Duration Tenancy (MLDT), which the Union believes is resulting in more parties looking at their options and considering if they wish to end their current LDT arrangements.

NFU to meet Muller

NFU Scotland representatives are set to meet with the milk processor MÜller following its slashing of prices for MÜller Direct farmers. NFUS was shocked by the steep price cut of 1.5p per litre that MÜller will be imposing on it supplying farmers come January 2018 and is looking for an explanation from the processor.

Christmas help

Christmas can be a very difficult time for many farmers and others in rural communities, which is why NFU Scotland is joining Scottish Rural Action, The Samaritans and Breathing Space on a campaign to raise awareness of the impact of isolation in rural areas and encourages people to commit to an act of kindness this December – #BeKindDecember. To get involved, you can go to www.scottishruralparliament.org.uk/bekinddecember

AGM

Turns out all you need for a good AGM turnout is to rope in a celebrity to be guest speaker. Following on from his recent stint on BBC Scotland’s Scot Squad comedy series, as well as his own stand-up success, popular farming comedian Jim Smith decided to cut his teeth in front of an infamously hard-to-please Blairgowrie crowd last week, warming them up for the serious business of a branch AGM.