Scottish Farming Leader - October 2024 by Countrywide Publications

LEADER

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NFU Scotland, Rural Centre, West Mains

SCOTTISH FARMING

From the Editor Diana McGowan

LEADER

NFU Scotland, Rural Centre, West Mains Ingliston, Edinburgh EH28 8LT

Ingliston, Edinburgh EH28 8LT

NFU Scotland, Rural Centre, West Mains

Tel: 0131 472 4000

Ingliston, Edinburgh

EH28 8LT

www.nfus.org.uk nfuscotland @NFUStweets

0131 472 4000 www.nfus.org.uk nfuscotland @NFUStweets @nfuscotland

Tel: 0131 472 4000 www.nfus.org.uk

Editor Diana McGowan editor@nfus.org.uk

HOW often do you see or learn about something and think ‘I’m up for that’, but then never actually realise that positive thought/ silent commitment? Possibly too often or not at all.

nfuscotland

Design & Production

Editor Diana McGowan editor@nfus.org.uk

@NFUStweets

Mark Shreeve mark.shreeve@micropress.co.uk

Managing Editor

HOW often do you see or learn about something and think ‘I’m up for that’, but then never actually realise that positive thought/ silent commitment? Possibly too often or not at all.

From the EDITOR

Andrew Hirst andrew.hirst@micropress.co.uk

Craig Gibson

Advertising Sales

Design & Production

Editor Diana McGowan editor@nfus.org.uk

Ryan Swinney

Danny Lewis 01502 725862 danny.lewis@micropress.co.uk

Advertising Sales

Lawrence Kenny lawrence.kenny@micropress.co.uk

Managing Editor

Craig Gibson

Clare Stebbing clare@connect communications.co.uk

Tel: 0131 561 0024

In this month’s magazine, our two features cover inspiring stories and highlight just how rewarding delivering on such thoughts can be both for the individual involved and others who may benefit along the way.

Diana McGowan

Ihave returned from my adventurous trip to the Swiss Alps and am back in the Editor’s saddle. Thanks to Brooke for acting as guest editor in my absence last month. It’s brilliant having an able pair of hands to share the load with when needed and provide valuable support that allows you to venture out of the office in order to upskill, broaden your horizons and overdose on knowledge exchange. I did that in abundance at the International Federation of Agricultural Journalist (IFAJ) Congress while also sampling loads of cheese and chocolate!

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Ryan Swinney

Published on behalf of NFU Scotland by COUNTRYWIDE PUBLICATIONS

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Clare Stebbing

Published on behalf of NFU Scotland by Connect Publications (Scotland) Ltd.

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clare@connect communications.co.uk

Studio 2001, Mile End, 12 Seedhill Road, Paisley PA1 1JS

Tel: 0131 561 0024

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Published on behalf of NFU Scotland by Connect Publications (Scotland) Ltd.

Studio 2001, Mile End, 12 Seedhill Road, Paisley PA1 1JS

We’re only a few weeks away from the Royal Highland Show. Over the course of four days, thousands will flock to the show to compete, judge, exhibit, organise, educate and socialise. We’ll see the best of the best and relish the atmosphere. Among the highlights and away from the main show ring, this year will see the welcome return of the Golden Shears Sheep Shearing and Woolhandling World Championships. Taking place at the MacRobert Theatre, the 2023 Worlds will see more than 30 countries compete for the prestigious title and it promises to be an action packed showcase of the art, skill and techniques required to be a world champion. Perhaps a less well known event taking place at this year’s Highland is the final qualifying round of the 2023 Britain’s Fittest Farmer competition. Taking part in this event for the first time is Kyla Graham from Kirkcudbrightshire. Kyla first spotted the event at the Show last year and while watching it thought ‘I’m up for that’. Kyla knew however she couldn’t just enter there and then. Like any competition, she understood you need to be ready for it and without knowing if she would even enjoy it, she set her mind to it to finding out if she would. Kyla shares her journey from that moment to the present and highlights how she’s benefited already in so many ways both mentally and physically, and explains about the positive impact her preparation has had on her working life.

The mountain pastures of Switzerland were a lush, green colour when I left. It was therefore quite a noticeable transition to look out the window of the aeroplane as I approached Edinburgh airport, to see the fields of East Lothian a golden blaze of colour. I smiled as I knew this signalled that many of our members would be preparing for harvest. Simultaneously I realised that not everyone was as near to harvesting given the variances in our Scottish climate north to south and east to west! Whatever stage you are at, I hope it has gone or goes smoothly, and that despite the challenges of the past winter, spring and summer, you have seen some reward for your labours. We will have a clearer picture once we have collated the harvest survey results.

During October many farmers embrace the growing popularity of consumers getting out on farm to ‘pick a pumpkin’ by adding this offering to their farm business. We share information about some who are, along with a few pumpkin recipes which may inspire you to get more creative in the kitchen. See pages 32-37 for more detail.

Having just successfully seen McGowan child number one recently pass their driving test, I have fresh understanding of how complicated some of the rules about learning to drive are let alone insuring a learner and young driver pre and posttest! (Things have moved on since I was at that stage.) But what about learning to drive an agricultural vehicle? Jamie Smart who runs our NFU Scotland Agricultural Vehicle and Transportation Helpline for members, says it’s a common question he gets asked. He explains the basics about what vehicles young drivers can drive before and after passing a driving test on pages 48-49. We hope that’s helpful for those who have youngsters of driving age.

The other feature looks at how a casual conversation during a Christmas lunch turned into the most rewarding and humbling experience for Next Generation Chair, Matthew Steel, one of the many volunteers who have recently delivered much needed 4x4 vehicles to Ukraine to support the war effort. Matthew explains his contribution to the ‘Pickups for Peace’ campaign and reflects on how the unexpected reception received from the Ukrainians has impacted him and those who were involved. Finally, as we head towards the longest day, with the hope of some warmer weather on the horizon, I hope you’re remembering to dress for the weather and wear protective sunscreen and hat when you’re out and about. The strength of the sun even on a dull day can prove harmful if exposed without protection. If you need a new baseball cap, visit the NFU Scotland website and purchase one from the branded merchandise in the Members’ Benefits section.

Elsewhere you can catch up on all the latest news and updates across policy, politics and the regions.

Finally, please don’t forget – the clocks will be changing at the end of October (Sunday 27 at 1am) so remember to adjust (back one hour) all non-automatic devices/clocks.

Perhaps a less well known event taking place at this year’s Highland is the final qualifying round of the 2023 Britain’s Fittest Farmer competition. Taking part in this event for the first time is Kyla Graham from Kirkcudbrightshire. Kyla first spotted the event at the Show last year and while watching it thought ‘I’m up for that’. Kyla knew however she couldn’t just enter there and then. Like any

“We’ll see the best of the best and relish the atmosphere”

she understood

Finally, as we head towards the longest day, with the hope of some warmer weather on the horizon, I hope you’re remembering to dress for the weather and wear protective sunscreen and hat when you’re out and about. The strength of the sun

From the PRESIDENT Martin Kennedy

It’s been a long time coming but as I write this, regardless of which weather forecast you look at, every single one of them say we are at last going to see a decent spell of dry weather, not before time. Hopefully by the time you are reading this we will see the majority of the harvest secured. Securing the produce of our efforts is one thing, but securing the recognition of all we do with our decision makers is something completely different.

Having only just returned from a pretty manic couple of days in Westminster where we hosted some of the new Scottish Labour MPs at a reception in Portcullis House and, along with the other UK Unions, celebrated the annual Back British Farming Day.

This trip south was extremely important, the new Labour Government have still not committed to how they will support agriculture over the next parliamentary term. This is very concerning given how long term an industry agriculture is. We spoke with the new Secretary of State for DEFRA, Steve Reed and also had a meeting with fi ve officials within the UK Treasury continually making the case why food production, not just in Scotland but throughout the UK is vitally important for a whole raft of reasons.

It’s alright saying that but they also need to back it with action - not just words

Given this Government’s first budget statement will be on the 30 October, we, along with the other UK Unions, are continuing to make sure our voices are heard. The fact they have already taken the contentious decision to remove the winter fuel allowance from some pensioners, highlights just how tight budgets are. That said, if we are not supported in the correct manner, and I don’t just mean through funding, then the agricultural sector will only deteriorate. Labour’s strapline right now is ‘food security is national security’. It’s alright saying that but they also need to back it with action - not just words.

Taxation is also something this new Government needs to be very careful with. Poor decisions made targeting areas like inheritance tax and agricultural property relief could end long-term investment and

signal the end of family farming businesses. I have often said that the unintended consequences of decisions made by people who do not understand the industry is our greatest risk, hence the reason at every opportunity we must be as close to Government as possible to influence these critical decisions.

Our Autumn Conference is just round the corner, this year’s venue is the Pavillion within the Royal Highland Showground. Once again we have a packed agenda with both political and industry leaders giving us their views and keen to answer questions.

I look forward to seeing you there.

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Galbraith has expanded its Farm Business Consultancy team to offer support for existing and new clients throughout the UK as a result of the uncertainty surrounding the future subsidy regime and ﬂuctuating commodity prices.

Unrivalled Expertise

• Subsidy Advice (IACS)

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VICE-PRESIDENTS’ updates

AAndrew Connon Vice-President (overseeing Food & Farming Policy)

hectic month of shows allowed tremendous engagement with the membership and stakeholders discussing industry direction, budgets, over regulation and, at both the Dumfries and Wigtown shows, the proposed new National Park.

Travelling around the country allowed me to appreciate how vital farmers and crofters are with regards to looking after our countryside, landscapes and nature.

AAlasdair Macnab Vice-President (overseeing

Climate, Land & Business Policy)

s a Vice-President (VP) things have bumped along between busy, steady and quiet, enjoyable and not too stressful. Not so with farming.

As a farmer I’ll admit I’ve had better

However the visible advance of bracken across our hillsides threatens not only livestock production but also the very biodiversity and nature we’re being challenged to enhance.

Potatoes in Practice proved to be a great industry event. Whilst there’s positivity at the demand for our seed and ware currently, the issue of virus and leaf roll in particular necessitated NFU Scotland facilitating a stakeholders’ meeting. Collectively we need to address the situation in order to preserve the health status of our acclaimed seed industry which both the seed and ware sectors rely on.

An on-farm visit with Minister Fairlie

years and the last few weeks have been, shall I say, trying. It started off with a field of hay – rye grass – which had gone over and undergone significant secondary growth. Could we get it dry enough to bale? Nope! Ended up with some baled for hay and some for haylage after 12 days.

I have a dung bucket with an extension which lets me lift three quadrant bales in one go. So, while sorting out a shed for taking in hay I didn’t notice the extension hitting the roof and cracking the sheeting.

helped highlight the proactive steps taken by the VI (Voluntary Initiative) to ensure continued leadership and self-regulation allowing Plant Protection Products (PPPs) to remain available (provided they are used sustainably with water courses and the environment in mind). We also discussed the negative impacts of not having glyphosate as an essential tool and the reduction of PPPs available to use.

The lack of labour availability across our industry is reaching crisis point with livestock haulage becoming a particular issue. Suggestions of a four day working week will only pile more pressure on our sector. We have a lot of lobbying to do on this.

Hay is now sitting in the shed where the straw should go and needs to be moved back – more wasted time. Roof now sorted with Flashband!

We do not employ full-time labour and are dependent on contract labour when required. You could not write it. Sadly, both the people who regularly help us are out of commission with injured right hands.

To the rescue comes my good lady. Waste plastic to the recycling centre - no problems there you say. Well, a couple of miles short of the depot the brakes started to feel spongy……. Following a hairy journey home and on to our very good mechanic to repair a burst brake pipe ensued.

VP life is maybe not so bad!

News FROM THE UNION

NFUS Autumn Conference 2024

Thursday 24 October, The Pavilion, Royal Highland Showground

We’re looking forward to our Autumn Conference which this year will take place in the Pavilion at Ingliston within the Royal Highland Showground on Thursday 24 October. We have an exciting range of topics and speakers lined up for what will be another not to be missed event in the NFU Scotland calendar.

Members still have time to register to attend this free of charge event which includes lunch. Please visit our website www.nfus.org.uk and follow the link provided on the home page.

AWARD PASSED BACK TO WATSON FAMILY

Adecade after the passing of North East agrijournalism stalwart, Joe Watson, the award set up in his name was handed back to his family at Turriff Show in August. A former Chair of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists, Joe was agricultural editor of the Press and Journal in Aberdeen from 1996, until his sudden death in 2014. In his memory, an award was set up in his legacy and was presented across the North East - at stockjudging and mock auctions round each of the NFU Scotland North East Branches.

In the eight years of the award being handed out, more than £60,000 has been raised for charity at these events. Charities to have benefi tted include MacMillan, RSABI, Fraserburgh Hospice, SCAA and the NFUS mental health charity, FarmTalk.

The award, presented to Joe’s brothers and their families, will now remain permanently with them.

GREAT GLEN CHALLENGE A HUGE SUCCESS

NFU Scotland sent two teams at the end of August to take part in the 2024 Great Glen Challenge and help raise funds for RSABI. All participants would like to say an enormous thank you to all those who sponsored and helped motivate them throughout their challenge disciplines.

With your support, NFU Scotland raised over £1700 for RSABI, helping the rural charity smash its £50,000 target. That makes all the hard work well worth it. Board Members Stewart Wyllie and Mark Donald joined nine hardy souls from the NFU Scotland staff body –Sarah Cowie, Jonnie Hall, Lisa Hislop, Robert Ferguson, Kate Maitland, Lucy McGillivray, Diana McGowan, Rhianna Montgomery and Al Walker – to walk, kayak, run and cycle from Fort Augustus to Fort William – battling the terrain, sunshine and head wind.

Mark Donald powered his way through the waters of Loch Oich to win the individual Kayaking medal. A tremendous achievement which saw him retain his ‘winner’s title’ for the second consecutive year.

Our team ‘Ninja Focussed Union Sportspeople’ (Lisa, Al, Sarah, Mark and Kate) were placed 3rd Overall! A fantastic performance all round.

“What great camaraderie the NFUS teams shared throughout the build up and duration of the event. I’ve sore legs but it was worth the effort and opportunity to be part of something the industry as a whole can do to support RSABI and in turn those in need across Scottish agriculture.” Stewart Wyllie

“It’s a fantastic event and excellent way to spen d time away from the office with colleagues and others working within the rural sector. We’re all having fun and supporting such a great charity which provides valuable aid to many far and wide within our precious rural communities.” Kate Maitland

“The secret of success is to have a good breakfast! Nothing beats a good Scottish bacon butty.”

Mark Donald

News FROM THE UNION

Porktober Returns!

Throughout October, Scottish Craft Butchers (SCB) from Shetland to the Borders enthusiastically promote the nutritional and economical value of pork in a “Buy Scottish” drive in support of local pig producers. Porktober has now been backed by Quality Meat Scotland and embraced by the National Craft Butchers in England too.

Scotland’s 400 independent butchers are a key outlet for home produced pork and enthusiastically get behind the “Porktober” initiative to increase demand and drive sales for Scottish pork. Imaginative promotional material (such as the now iconic “Pumpkin Pig”), targeted discounts and novel product development are all used to excite consumers.

Porktober was conceived two years ago during discussions between SCB and Scottish Pig Producers (SPP) and whilst pig farmers were in the midst of the biggest crisis for a generation. With processing facilities

under very real threat of closure so SCB kindly agreed to launch the Porktober campaign. Sales increased signifi cantly during a normally sluggish period, falling in the lull between the barbecue and festive trades.

Andy McGowan from SPP said, “We’re urging customers to buy Scottish pork rather than imported alternatives and this drive by Scottish Craft Butchers will help keep locally produced pork in the public eye. Porktober is a brilliant initiative and we’re very grateful to local independent butchers everywhere and QMS for getting behind us.”

Quarter two successes document online

The NFU Scotland Q2 Successes document that collates information provided by policy, regional, member services and operational teams was emailed to members recently accompanied by a short message from President Martin Kennedy. The quarter two update, looking at April, May and June, includes successful events such as the Highland Show, policy wins like the Ag Bill, new member benefi ts, our ShelfWatch campaign and our political engagement on behalf of members. Both our Q1 and Q2 successes documents are available to read and/or download from the home page of our website.

Upland Sheep scheme opens for applications

The Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme (SUSSS), a £6 million fund which supports sheep production in Scotland’s hills and uplands, is open. The application window to the scheme, now in its ninth year, opened on Sunday 1 September and closes at midnight on Saturday 30 November. Payment rates on eligible ewe hoggs were £61.38 in 2023 and £61.25 in 2022 with around 1150 farming and crofting businesses submitting applications annually. Scottish Government has committed to SUSSS until at least 2026 and is engaging with the industry on the Scheme’s future beyond that date. NFUS is calling on the Scottish Government to ensure the benefi ts of active grazing in our hills and uplands continue to be recognised in the future.

Contact Sarah Dooley, Principal Development Manager, EDF Renewables UK directly via: Sarah.dooley@edf-re.uk www.edf-re.uk

News FROM THE UNION

New time for AgriScot debate - 10am

We’re getting ready for AgriScot 2024 which will take place on Wednesday 13 November.

Please note that the time of the traditional debate between Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon MSP and President Martin Kennedy has a new timeslot. This important debate, and perennial feature of the proceedings at AgriScot will be starting at 10am this year.

Get the date (Wednesday, 13 November) and 10am into your diary! It promises to be yet another cracking day.

Also happening at AgriScot and for the eighth year running, the Scottish Dairy Hub and Kite Consulting will deliver an expert panel to discuss the issues of the day. This year the line-up includes

Scottish Dairy Hub seminar

• Chris Walkland – Agricultural journalist, milk market analyst

• Paul Grant – Chair, Scottish Dairy Growth Board

• ARLA – Paul Dover

• Richard Thompson – fi rst ever Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator at Defra. He will be overseeing the implantation of the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024

This panel’s knowledge and experience surrounding issues on supply chains, market forces, and the challenges facing the dairy sector will ensure an insightful debate and be of great relevance to those attending on the 13 November at 1pm.

For more information and to register for your ticket visit agriscot.co.uk

DONATE TO THE 2024 LAMB BANK

Since its inception in 2020, the Lamb Bank has delivered over 2.75 tonnes of lamb to secondary schools across Scotland as part of the wider Lamb for St Andrew’s Day initiative to promote the merits of Scottish lamb to UK consumers.

The Lamb Bank is a charitable initiative calling on sheep farmers and others in the industry to donate a lamb, or the value of a lamb or any sheep, which IAAS then arranges to be butchered, packaged and delivered to schools.

The 22,000+ portions of lamb delivered each year are accompanied in the classroom, Home Economics classes and canteens by Quality Meat Scotland’s educational resources. These include dedicated recipes and interactive activities to demonstrate the

great taste, versatility of cooking and the environmental credentials of lamb produced in Scotland.

The Lamb for St Andrew’s Day campaign has been recognised for positively impacting the mart prime lamb price, which has tracked upwards throughout the month of November over the last four years.

HOW TO DONATE.

You do not need to be a mart customer to donate to the Lamb Bank. Donations can be made to the value of store, prime and breeding lambs, cull and breeding ewes and tups to the Lamb Bank via any Scottish auction market, by donating online at www.ko-fi.com/iaaslambbank or by getting in touch directly with the Institute. IAAS will handle all the logistics after this.

For more information, please contact neil@iaas.co.uk.

Aberdeenshire farmer

Nicola Wordie, pictured here, who has a strong social media following through her Livestock_farmher channel on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, has proactively supported the Lamb Bank from the first year. She said; “Since this campaign started, we have supported it as it allows children to try and taste Scottish lamb, learn about the qualities of red meat and how important local food chains are. I would encourage other farmers to support where they can, and to have fun getting creative on social media as well, posting and resharing as much as possible to spread the word and widen the support.”

QMS “MEAT THE MARKET” WORKSHOPS

Quality Meat Scotland is running a series of “Meat the Market” workshops designed to provide farmers with essential knowledge on carcass grading, market specifications, and customer requirements. These workshops will take place at leading processing facilities across Scotland and will include processing plant tours, expert speakers, and hands-on sessions aimed at helping farmers improve the quality and profitability of their livestock. The workshops will be held on the following dates:

Tuesday, 15 October 2024

Beef & Lamb Workshop at John M Munro Ltd, Dingwall, followed by a visit to Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd starting at 10:00am

Wednesday, 16 October 2024

Lamb Workshop at Morrisons Woodhead Brothers, Turriff, starting at 8:30am

Wednesday, 16 October 2024

Beef Workshop at Morrisons Woodhead Brothers, Turriff, starting at 12:30pm

Attendees will receive expert guidance on market specifications, carcass presentation, and how to minimise the risk of carcass downgrades.

For booking information contact:

Lesley Mitchell, Industry Development Co-ordinator at lmitchell@qmscotland.co.uk

News FROM THE UNION

READER OFFER

Infantino unveil a trio of tasty teethers from its latest harvest!

Infantino, creators of products that promise to support happy parents 24/7, has recently unveiled a brandnew gift set called ‘the Farmers Market’. Made up of a trio of super cute and tasty teethers, including the brand’s iconic Carrot teether, each promising to add some fresh flavour when soothing sore gums.

The playful set includes three premium and durable soft silicone, BPAfree teethers. The veggie inspired set makes a playful introduction to healthy foods - peas in the pod, a carrot and a corn on the cob.

HEALTH HUT DEBUT

Dr Louise MacLarty from the Highlands is combining her passion for farming and health by playing a key role in the growth of the exciting Health Hut initiative aimed at improving the wellbeing of people in Scotland’s agricultural community.

The initiative brings health and wellbeing expertise to auction markets and other events in the farming community at a time and place convenient to them, in an environment where they feel comfortable.

A recent recruit to the RSABI Health Hut team, Dr MacLarty lives on a small farm in the Black Isle and has been helping the charity with the initiative at agricultural shows during the summer. At the end of August, she made her debut at the Health Hut at Dingwall Mart, supported by RSABI staff.

With 18 years’ experience as a qualified general practitioner, Dr MacLarty has been a GP and

Each lightweight teether is perfectly sized to chew on and easy to grasp thanks to the two grab handles. Thoughtfully designed to truly sooth tender gums, all three veggies have textured surfaces to provide extra relief when sucking and chewing. As baby moves their tongue and jaw across these easy-to-hold, food-like teethers, they will not only develop muscle tone for eating solid foods later in life, but they will also nurture fine motor skills essential for feeding development. They are easy to clean too. The set is retailing for £19.99 on Amazon.

Scottish Farming Leader has been given two of these eye-catching and fun teething sets to give away to two lucky readers.

If you have a child of teething age or a friend or family member that may welcome a set for their child please email: editor@nfus.org.uk by midnight on Tuesday 15 October. Please have ‘Farmers Market Teething Set’ in the subject line of your email and provide your name and membership number in the body of the message.

occupational health doctor in the Inverness and Dingwall area since 2007. She believes the Health Hut initiative offers a huge opportunity to make a very substantial contribution to the wellbeing of farming families around the country.

“Farmers give so much to their communities but unfortunately, they don’t tend to take the best care of themselves – the farm takes priority,” she said.

“With long and demanding working hours, too often farmers’ own health takes a back seat, so the Health Hut provides a hugely valuable and

convenient opportunity for them to focus on their wellbeing and speak about any concerns they may have.”

Since August 2023 Health Huts have been held at many of the main sales at ANM’s Thainstone Centre and, in recent months, the initiative has been rolled out to auction marts including United Auctions markets in Stirling and Lochboisdale and Caithness Mart. They have also appeared at Lawrie & Symington’s mart at Lanark and more venues are planned in the near future. Do stop and take part if you can.

BBC seeks recruits

The fantastic news for Scottish food and farming is that the BBC has commissioned the hugely popular This Farming Life for an incredible eighth series! You may be asking yourselves what happened to Series 7? The good news

is that fi lming for Series 7 is currently underway with the programme due to start airing in early 2025. However, the show is so popular, with over two million viewers, that the BBC is keen to start recruiting for Series 8 now.

For anyone who may be interested

Scottish Food & Drink September

A month-long celebration extended the traditional Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight to a full four weeks, highlighting Scotland’s diverse, high-quality produce with the aim of further enhancing the industry’s prominence both nationally and internationally.

At the heart of this year’s celebration was the introduction of the ‘Naturally Scottish’ brand which includes fantastic imagery and video footage celebrating production that features well known Scottish producers such as Angus Soft Fruits, Rora Dairy and Bruce Farms.

More details on the campaign can be found at naturallyscottish.com

in taking part in the next series, please send an email (a few lines are fi ne, but more info is also welcome) telling casting director Emma a bit about yourself and your family - who you are, what part of the country you’re in, and what you farm. The email address is thisfarminglife8@bbc.com and the phone number is 07704675609. If you know anyone who you think might be interested, feel free to pass on.

NFU Scotland Finance advertising in marts

If you are visiting a mart, watch out for the new NFU Scotland Finance adverts helping raise awareness of the company’s services. Launched in March NFU Scotland Finance offers a competitive and efficient finance option for all our members whatever their purchase.

Stacey Campbell is our go-to person and will tailor your funding arrangement from refinancing or funding a lot purchased at the Mart. For more information visit the member services pages of our website – nfus.org.uk

SCOTTISH AGRITOURISM CONFERENCE WELCOMES INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS

Two high-profile, international agritourism leaders, will be among the speakers at this years’ Scottish Agritourism conference. The conference, now in its fifth year, will take place at its regular venue of Perth Concert Hall on the 18 and 19 November.

The one and half day conference is Scotland’s largest annual gathering of agritourism businesses and sector supporters, the fourth in-person conference hosted by the sector body since it was formed in June 2020.

For more details about the conference and to book tickets visit scottishagritourism.co.uk

Make time to ‘Blether Together’ News FROM THE UNION

The latest issue of Farmstrong Scotland’s podcast series, kindly supported by The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, Blether Together are now available to download.

Episode Four - Taking the fast lane in farming and Formula One with Isla Mackenzie

In this episode host Sarah Stephen talks to Isla Mackenzie who was raised on a dairy farm on the Isle of Lewis and is now perfecting parts for the cars that Formula One’s Lewis Hamilton and George Russell drive at Grand Prix around the world for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS.

Sarah fi nds out what farming and F1 have in common and Isla’s career in motorsport, including her own journey to get behind the wheel and race. Isla explains about the barriers she’s faced and how wellbeing plays a vital part in ensuring she is mentally and physically ready for the track.

Listeners will also get an insight in what it was like growing up on the Isle of Lewis and how Isla felt about moving away for university and her job, and why she made an eff ort to go out and join a local football club even though she admits to being no good at it!

Episode Five – Trying Times

Listeners will hear from rugby star, Staff ord McDowall of Glasgow Warriors and Scotland.

Staff ord talks to Sarah about his upbringing on a dairy farm near Dumfries and what his long-term plans are for heading back to the farm. He also explains more about rugby life including where the dream started off, the strict regime for training and how it feels when you aren’t selected to play after training hard all week. We hear how he dealt with not being selected for months at a time and nearly even losing his contract.

Visit the Farmstrong Scotland website for information and links on how to download to the Blether Together episodes or series.

ROUND UP Political MINISTER FAIRLIE ON ANGUS FARM

FUTURE FUNDING

With the UK Government budget on the 30 October, NFU Scotland has been pressing for a commitment of increased, multi-annual and ring-fenced funds. We submitted a detailed paper that sets out the importance of farming to rural communities and have held many meetings with MPs, Ministers and the Treasury. Given the real terms decline in support funding, the increase should be at least an extra £1 billion – taking the UK farm support budget from £3.7 billion to at least £4.7 billion.

In August, NFU Scotland met with the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Jim Fairlie MSP, on farm in Angus to discuss biodiversity and Integrated Pest Management plans. Our Combinable Crops Vice-Chair, Amy Geddes, conveyed the importance of best practice and professional use of pesticides with Minister Fairlie as the sector continues to adopt innovative approaches to deliver more agricultural sustainability. We also highlighted other issues within the sector, such as damage to river-banks exacerbated by beavers causing financial issues, as well as utilising gene editing to give our farmers and crofters a competitive edge.

Beatrice Morrice Political A airs Manager

Al Walker Political A airs Assistant

SNP CONFERENCE

Our NFU Scotland political team attended the SNP conference in August. We underlined the importance of future funding for Scottish agriculture. In the context of numerous cutbacks to different Government funded projects, we highlighted Scottish agriculture’s importance to food production, climate, environment, and people. We met with many politicians, including Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon MSP, Minister Jim Fairlie MSP, Minister Alasdair Allan MSP, Pete Wishart MP and Seamus Logan MP.

Programme for Government

In his first Programme for Government, First Minister John Swiney MSP highlighted the importance of the food and drink sector and confirmed that there will be a Crofting Bill and Natural Environment Bill over the coming year.

The Crofting Bill will support the sustainability of crofting, make crofting regulation less onerous for active crofters and allow crofters to innovate, diversify and adapt to help meet future climate and environmental challenges. The Natural Environment Bill will establish the framework for statutory targets to restore and protect nature.

The First Minister also underlined the importance of tackling climate change and restoring biodiversity and stated that food and drink sector was a strength of our country. He concluded his speech by underlining the need to build prosperity, improve public services and play our part in protecting the environment.

In the related publication, the Scottish Government outlined the plan to review the Government’s landholdings to explore opportunities to create openings for new entrants into farming and outlined the priority to deliver a greater uptake of key baselining activities such as carbon and biodiversity audits and soil analysis. A proposal for a rural visa pilot to tackle worker shortages and speeding up planning and consent for renewable generation was also included.

The full publication is available on the Scottish Government website.

Policy & PRACTICE

Sarah Cowie Senior Policy Manager

NatureScot publishes plan for reporting on the proposed National Park in Galloway

As I explained in the last issue, Galloway has now been confi rmed as the proposed location for Scotland’s next National Park. NatureScot will now conduct a twelve-week public consultation, before submitting its fi ndings to Ministers by 28 April 2025. In late August, NatureScot published its plan on how it will take forward the Reporter investigation. This plan provides more information on how NatureScot will investigate the suitability of the area as a National Park and the options for its size, powers, functions and governance arrangements. It outlines the formal consultation it will undertake to gauge opinion on the proposal and how it will engage with local communities, organisations, businesses and interest groups.

There will be three main phases in the Reporting stage. These are as follows:

Engagement – to raise awareness of the proposal and work with local interests to design a consultation strategy and develop draft proposals for consultation. This takes place between August and mid-October 2024.

Consultation – to gauge opinion on detailed proposals through a 12-week consultation from November 2024 – January 2025.

Advice – to analyse the responses received and fi nalise advice for Ministers taking account of the views expressed. This will take place from February – April 2025.

Farming and Water Scotland launches new website

Farming and Water Scotland has launched a brand-new website and newsletter. The initiative helps farmers and land managers keep on the right side of the diff use pollution regulations, reduce diff use pollution risks and benefi t the farm business. The website contains the recently updated Prevention of Environmental Pollution from Agricultural Activity (PEPFAA) Code of Good Practice. It also contains factsheets and an FAQ guide on the rules around slurry storage and spreading, following an update to the Controlled Activities Regulations.

Visit www.farmingandwaterscotland.org for more information.

Putting horticulture on the map

ALucy McGillivray Policy Advisor

lmost six months on from horticulture becoming part of my remit, I’ve learnt a lot about the sector and looking forward to learning more. There are so many important issues affecting horticulture businesses at the moment and we’re trying to engage with relevant stakeholders and Governments on each of them.

Some of the issues the Horticulture Working Group have been working on this year include funding and investment for the sector, the impact of Fair Work and implementation of the Real Living Wage, availability of labour and seasonal workers, and fairness in the supply chain alongside working with producer organisations and co-operatives. So, there’s a lot to be getting on with! Labour continues to be one of the main limitations of the horticultural sector. Over recent years, the lack of certainty in accessing labour and the difficulty to recruit and employ workers, has resulted

in crop loss, a drop in production and disruption of supply to the domestic and export markets. Recently, after years of lobbying from the joint UK Farming Unions, a five-year extension was granted on the Seasonal Workers Scheme. On top of this, the UK Government also issued additional visa allowances for seasonal workers. We have to celebrate the wins, but we continue to lobby that the sector requires certainty over labour availability to give them confidence to continue to invest and maintain production.

At the time of writing, a concern we’re focusing resource on is a call for a

Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme update

Lisa Hislop Livestock Policy Manager

We are edging closer to the implementation of the reformed Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (SSBSS). As a reminder any calves claimed from 2025 onwards need to meet the following eligibility criteria:

• At least 75% beef genetics,

• Be held on the holding of birth for at least 30 days,

• Its dam must have a calving interval of 410 days or less (heifers will not be subject to this condition)

The calving interval will be applied on an individual cow basis, not a herd average. You can look at your herd’s overall and individual’s performance through MyHerdStats accessed via ScotMoves+. There will be no penalty for any calf submitted who does not meet calving interval conditionality, meaning you can submit as per the usual process, this will be cross referenced ScotEID data to assess the dam’s calving interval as well as any moves.

We recently had a positive discussion with Scottish Government on the process for applying for exceptional circumstances under the new iteration of the scheme. It was confi rmed that an individual can present relevant evidence to demonstrate how despite their due diligence and good management,

they have been subject to abnormal circumstances which stopped them from being able to comply.

While it is reassuring to know this is an option, it will require signifi cant evidence to be considered on a case-bycase basis, for example fertility testing, scanning or personal health information. Given the depth of detail required we must be realistic and acknowledge that this is not going to be a silver bullet. It does however address the examples we provided to Scottish Government, notably bull failure and disease breakdown, as part of our lobbying eff orts related to SSBSS.

More information on the SSBSS reform can be found on the livestock pages of the NFU Scotland members’ website.

halt to the new requirements to SMETA (SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit) workforce audits which will require UK farming and growing businesses to pay for the recruitment and transportation fees of the seasonal workers they employ. The announcement was made with insufficient industry consultation. We’re therefore engaging with NFU on the issue, including calling for the change to be paused until there is proper industry consultation, alignment on how it will be fairly implemented, and the financial cost impacts and risks to farming and growing businesses are fully understood.

Members can be assured we continue to underline the importance of horticulture businesses at every opportunity.

UPGRADE YOUR BALING THIS SEASON Opportunities for Scottish Machinery Ring Members

Scottish Machinery Rings are working in partnership with Case IH dealers to provide an exclusive rebate for members on their latest machines including the RB HD Pro Variable Chamber Series.

These balers are the perfect all-rounders. With a heavy duty design, these balers rely on a robust drive line and premium material for maximum lifetime and minimum downtime. The choice is yours with two models to produce bales up to 165 or 190cm, and RotorFeeder or RotorCutter options with 13 or 25 knives.

John Flanagan Senior Policy Manager

POTATO WORKING GROUP MEETING & PRACTICE Policy

The Potatoes Working Group recently visited TLC, who grow mini-tubers for the seed potato growers across approximately 40% of the UK, and also further afield. The process involves multiplying stock up from micro plants. It was fascinating to watch the level of precision and attention given to biosecurity and required to produce high health and disease free mini-tubers. Thanks to John Limmer (General Manager) of TLC for hosting our visit.

Potato Virus in Scotland

There has been an increase in potato virus levels (particularly Leaf Roll Virus) which has led to the mandatory destruction of some ware potato crops in certain areas. Generally, potato crops if found with virus levels above 4%, especially when in close proximity to seed potato crops, are subject to compulsory destruction in implementation of the Plant Health (Potatoes) (Scotland) Order 2006. SASA (Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture) inspect at least 10% of ware in Scotland per year. We have been dealing with concerns from members, both seed and ware growers and recognise the burdens, both financial and mental, that being asked to destroy your crop can have. We also recognise the obligations that SASA have to enforce the rules, rules that were developed to safeguard the best interests of the Scottish potato industry. The matter was discussed at the latest Potatoes Working Group, and we’ve facilitated a round table discussion with key stakeholders and Scottish Government to progress this situation for the future and formulate a series of appropriate actions. We’ll continue to be involved as discussions progress and we look towards the 2025 growing season.

PRACTICE

SCOTTISH DAIRY HERD NUMBERS CONTINUE TO FALL &

Tracey Roan Policy Manager

The Scottish Dairy Cattle Association (SDCA) figures show that, during the first six months of 2024, there has been a net decrease of 21 dairy herds (2.6 percent) within Scotland making a current total of 773.

The total number of dairy cows is 180,250 – a decrease of 398 or 0.25 percent over the same period. The average herd size in Scotland continues to rise and now stands at 233, up by six from the start of the year. Encouragingly, new herds started up in Dumfriesshire, Wigtownshire, and Lanarkshire but 16 herds in Ayrshire chose to leave dairying between January and July this year.

The latest figures follow the national trend of declining dairy producers. A recent annual AHDB survey of the major milk buyers, it

was estimated that there were 7130 dairy producers in Great Britain, highlighting a decline of 440 or 5.8 percent on the previous year. Despite falling producer numbers, milk production in GB is only back 0.2 percent year-on-year.

The figures are unsurprising as they continue the long-term trend of reducing herd numbers but growing herd sizes. Increased regulatory pressures, continued inflationary pressure on key inputs, a lack of labour and interest rates still driving up the cost of borrowing, remain the main reasons why many have decided to call it a day. Although milk prices are starting to increase, it is too late for some who have suffered from the gap that has grown between the top and bottom of the price league table where, for some,

a continued low milk price has squeezed the potential of making any profi t.

Analysing the figures –Dumfriesshire still takes the lead with the highest number of cows at 36,895, followed by Wigtownshire with 32,425. However, Ayrshire still has the highest number of dairy herds at 188, with Dumfriesshire sitting at 143.

While it’s welcomed news that there are new herds entering the dairy sector, concern is the number of farms that have ceased production. Milk buyers, policy makers and retailers need to be aware of the figures as this continued trend of declining numbers of Scottish dairy herds will undoubtedly lead to the industry looking very different in years to come.

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MULTI-LONGER GII HEDGE CUTTER

The Multi-Longer GII 7457 E-TPAL boasts a horizontal reach of 7.4 metres and a maximum vertical height of 8.4 metres, making it KUHN’s most extensive hedge cutter to date. This significantly enhances our offering in the sector.

& PRACTICE Policy

Private Landowners Grant Fund

Rhianna Montgomery Policy Manager

The Private Landowners Grant Fund, created as part of the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy, is being relaunched for a second year.

Zero Waste Scotland is administering the funding to aid private landowners towards interventions that will prevent fl ytipping on private land.

The fund aims to support innovative projects that will:

• prevent fl ytipping on private land

• engage local communities

• facilitate the reporting of fl ytipping and enforcement of existing penalties

• have social, environmental, and economic benefi ts.

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• maximum grant of £20,000 in one application

• project location must be connected to an area of private land in Scotland

• proposed locations must have been fl ytipped within the last 12 months

• landowner must be based in the UK.

There are second of two deadlines for this year’s funding is by noon on Thursday 24 October.

Application forms and more detail can be found on the Zero Waste Scotland website.

CELEBRITY SCIENCE

Penny Middleton Policy Manager

Friday 23 August saw the airing of the BBC documentary ‘The badgers, the farmers and me’ presented by Sir Brian May. The documentary outlined his ‘revelations’ on how we should be controlling Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) and badgers have nothing to do with spreading disease. According to him, the scientists have it all wrong and it is simply down to bullsh*t and poor testing failing to remove all infected animals.

We have some incredible scientists within the UK and Scotland is a Centre of Excellence for animal health science. The Easter Bush Campus, just outside of Edinburgh, represents the largest concentration of animal science-related expertise in Europe.

I see how passionately these scientists work with industry and governments to drive the best and most effective policies on bTB. The UK Government spend approximately £100 million on bTB a year, would they throw that amount of cash around on policies they don’t believe in, especially in the knowledge they will be extremely unpopular with voters?

Bovine TB it is a complex disease, but there are great minds working on this topic doing detailed peer reviewed science. I agree we can’t afford to ignore new ideas, but one experience on one farm does not trump years of detailed research, especially when that farm has once again gone down with bTB.

Bovine TB is a highly emotive topic, I hear the fear from farmers in Scotland where we are in a much more fortunate position than those in southern England and Wales. The impact on the mental health of farmers affected by this disease is terrible, these producers are looking for answers and they deserve sound science, not ill-informed opinions.

For more information on what you can do to help protect your herd there is a wealth of information online at the TB Hub.

Kept Bird Register

Don’t forget if you keep even a few hens or other fowl, you must register your birds on the new Kept Birds Register by the end of December. Anyone who keeps more than one bird is now required to register at keptbirdregister service.gov.scot

Ian Davidson Scottish Land Matching Service

ALooking to the future after another difﬁcult harvest

s I write the weather is still showing no sign of settling down and harvest looks likely to be a frustrating time for all. I wrote in last month’s edition about the very welcome strong trade for store lambs across the country and the likely knock on for the price of breeding sheep and how that might affect new entrants’ ability to buy stock. I recently attended a breeding sheep sale in the Norh of England and to say the trade was on fire is no exaggeration. Even well-worn four crop mules were making £200 and with gimmers averaging over £90 more than two years ago then the risks for new entrants, even with a better return on lambs, really become extreme. Travelling down to that sale through the Border hills and down into Cumbria and North Yorkshire it was sad to see so many hills very obviously not being grazed. Some of that land will have been bought during the Natural Capital bubble market that exploded values from 2019. Recent reports in the Financial Times would suggest that particular bubble has at least cooled, if not burst, as investors become wary

of the market in carbon credits which does not seem to be maturing as people would like.

I have been encouraged by recent conversations with representatives of private investors who recognise there’s an opportunity to take some of the heat out of the ‘Forestry v Agriculture v Environment’ argument by taking a much broader view of mixed land use. That could include new entrant opportunities and if we could see some encouragement in terms of making the creation of tenancies more attractive to landowners then the benefi t to communities and the wider rural economy would be immeasurable.

& PRACTICE Policy

New Tier 2…New Greening

Jonnie Hall Director of Policy

The landmark Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 18 June. Among other things, the Act enables the Scottish Government to provide financial support for measures and schemes, set eligibility criteria and conditions for receiving the support and, importantly, allows transition from current support measures.

With the Act now in place, the pathway to a new framework of farming and crofting support is much clearer. Moreover, the reasons behind continuing support are also evident.

Future support is all about delivering high-quality food production alongside tackling

climate change, restoring nature and sustaining rural communities. It’s only active farming and crofting that can deliver all four – but only if the right package of support enables farmers and crofters to do so.

It’s also equally evident, given the limitations placed on the means of delivery, that the pathway to the new four-tiered support framework will be about evolution rather than revolution.

We know that in 2025, other than the new Whole Farm Plan requirement and changes to cross-compliance rules to protect peatlands and wetlands under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), and the calving interval requirement for the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme, it’s essentially ‘business as usual’.

But what about 2026 and the foreseeable years after?

Again, it’s becoming increasingly evident, given the (budget) constraints the Scottish

Government faces in terms of changes to IT systems, etc., that 2026 will be all about transition.

As a result, in 2026, BPS will consolidate as Tier 1 (Base) payments while Tier 2 (Enhanced) payments will be introduced based on the existing Greening delivery model.

There will be no significant changes to BPS (Tier 1) until at least 2028. The existing three payment region model will continue as the basis for delivering support, while coupled support (suckler beef calf and ewe hogg payments) and the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme will continue alongside to provide more targeted support.

But what about the new Tier 2 Enhanced (or ‘conditional’) payments over and above Tier 1 Base payments?

Given the limitations on the Scottish Government to make significant changes to the delivery of schemes, it’s now clear that existing Greening mechanisms will be used to deliver Tier 2 for the time being.

That means new Greening requirements will be introduced in 2026 to establish the Enhanced Tier 2 of the future framework. Farmers and crofters will be expected to start doing Enhanced (Tier 2) activities using the existing Greening claim processes on the Single Application Form (SAF).

Moreover, the existing Greening eligibility requirements and rules will be built upon to deliver further outcomes for nature and climate improvementrewarding both new activity and existing good practice.

So what might that mean

While limited, the Scottish Government could do a number of things in relation to the main Greening tool of Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs). For example,

change the existing Greening guidance to amend the seven existing EFAs’ activity requirements

• add new EFA options to the current set of seven, particularly new grassland EFA options

• increase the number of businesses required to meet EFA requirements by reducing or removing exemptions

• increase the amount of land managed as EFA from five percent to seven or ten percent, or even more

• increase the percentage of the BPS budget allocated to Greening (i.e. shift more than 30 percent of direct support into Tier 2)

In all likelihood, it’ll be a combination of these things.

Some £142 million per year is currently delivered to Scottish farmers and crofters through Greening – making up about a third of the total BPS budget of £424 million. An obvious option for the Scottish Government would be to shift to 50 percent of direct support funding being delivered through Tier via Greening. On current budgets, that would equate to some £212 million.

But let’s remember, as things stand, less than 4,000 agricultural businesses are required to do anything of significance through EFAs. For the vast majority of Scotland’s farms and crofts, current Greening obligations are negligible to nil.

It’s likely, therefore, that the Scottish Government will, within the limited scope it has, change the existing Greening requirements for 2026 and beyond.

& PRACTICE Policy

What might that mean?

An immediate conclusion is that all the Greening will still be done by Region 1 land. That’s arguably right, in that the low payment rates per hectare for Regions 2 and 3 would mean any new Greening conditions on rough grazing (other than cross-compliance) would be very disproportionate.

A second thought is that if the Scottish Government were to drop both the existing ‘75 percent’ rules but stuck with the more than 15 hectares of arable land requirement, then the number of farm businesses required to do EFAs would increase to about 6,000 – still only about a third of all BPS and Greening claimants.

The issues then would be what area would be required to managed as EFA (five, seven or ten percent, or more?), what changes might be

made to existing EFA management requirements and what new EFA options might be introduced, especially for grassland?

From my perspective, the absolute key is to ensure that the new Greening package from 2026 does not compromise production, businesses decisions, etc. on the one hand, while also ensuring it gives farming and crofting the opportunity to demonstrate it’s clearly delivering on the policy objectives on climate and nature now expected from Tier 2 enhanced support.

Pumpk Pick g

A Prosperous Prospect?

With Halloween only weeks away, the season for pumpkin picking has arrived. In spirit of the season and in support of buying local produce, ‘pick your own pumpkin’ (PYO) events have become a popular day out for families across the country. Many of our members have opened their gates to visitors, allowing them to explore the land, take some photos and enjoy a variety of experiences including picking their perfect pumpkin in autumn.

The phenomenon has been on the rise for a number of years, reaching its peak following the pandemic when outdoor, socially distanced activities were all the rage and is now a ‘family tradition’

for many. While there is no doubt that arranging an event of this nature is strenuous in the height of harvest season for farmers, Scottish Agritourism and Go Rural insist it, like other agritourism ventures, brings significant economic opportunity. In the group’s most recent tracker, on-farm tourism was estimated at around £60million and farm retail around £110million.

Ahead of its annual conference in Perth this November, Scottish Agritourism and Go Rural have highlighted where some of their members are encouraging visitors to come on-farm and ‘pick your pumpkin’ by releasing updated detail on farms hosting pumpkin picking events this spooky season.

Craigies Farm, Edinburgh

Thursday 1 - Thursday 31 October Craigies Farm is thrilled to unveil its biggest and most thrilling event yet. Building on last year’s success, the event is expanding to a new level, with an incredible 900 square metre haybale trail added to the already spectacular lineup of spooky activities, including paintball shooting, haunted maze, barrel ghost train, and of course, PYO pumpkins.

Craigies will be hosting two events this year: Craigies Pumpkin Festival by day, and Craigies Pumpkin Festival After Dark. Tickets during the day include entry to the pumpkin patch, the monster bale trail and lots of Halloween themed photo opportunities. If you’re brave enough, come along at night for extra spookiness and to navigate the new haunted maze, while still enjoying picking your own pumpkins in the patch.

For details and booking information visit www.craigies.digitickets.co.uk/ category/57515

Arnprior Pumpkins, Stirlingshire

Saturday 12 - Wednesday 30 October

Arnprior Farm hosts Scotland’s original Pumpkin festival, with over 20,000 pumpkins to choose from over three weeks in October. The patch is a great day out for all the family, including your furry friends.

As well as pumpkins, you can also enjoy a quad pod ride, pumpkin cannon, bale mountain, an indoor hay barn, face painting, bouncy castle, lots of photo opportunities and more. Make sure to also taste some of the delicious food and drink, including the infamous churros!

Car parking tickets for Arnprior Pumpkins are available to book now and can be purchased online. One ticket grants admission for one car into the car park. This ticket can be exchanged for one small pumpkin at the patch, then simply pay for what you pick beyond that.

Tickets are selling fast. Visit https://shorturl.at/8mzdO to book.

Cairnie Fruit Farm, Fife

Saturday 5 - Thursday 31 October

This will be Cairnie Fruit Farm’s 25th year offering PYO pumpkins. As the first PYO pumpkin patch in Scotland, there will be over 20,000 pumpkins of all shapes, sizes, and colours ready for you to take home!

In addition to pumpkins, Cairnie’s hugely popular ‘Funyard’ will be open. This large outdoor play area features jumping pillows, a straw-bale fortress, and many more exciting activities. Delicious homemade treats will also be available!

Tickets to the pumpkin patch must be pre-booked for the day you wish to visit. Choose from a morning (10am to 12.30pm) or afternoon (1pm to 3.30pm) slot, and simply turn up at any time during your allocated slot and pay for the pumpkins you pick by their size.

Booking and information can be found at www.cairniefruitfarm.co.uk/pumpkins

Loch Ness Pumpkins, The Highlands

Open: Friday 18, Saturday 19, Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October

Corrimony Farm near Loch Ness is home to the very first and original Highland Pumpkin Picking patch!

Loch Ness Pumpkins is entering its seventh growing year and has welcomed over 40,000 visitors to the pumpkin patch at Buntait over the past six years.

Make a day of it with even more fun activities, including a bale run, sunflower maze, pumpkin express train, and a fantastic café serving delicious food and drinks. With breathtaking views across the Aff ric hills and Glenurquhart, this is truly a Highland patch like no other!

For more information visit: www.corrimonyfarm.co.uk

Westerton Farmers, Aberdeenshire

Friday 11 - Thursday 31 October

In the run-up to Halloween, get outdoors with your family and hand-pick the perfect pumpkin at Westerton Farm. The hugely popular autumnal event returns for its sixth year, running daily between 11 and 31 October.

Beat the bale maze, conquer the bale mountain and if you want to stay and play, they’ll have a barn full of fun with areas for under 4s and 5s and older. With an outdoor play area, goats and alpacas to see, and food and drinks in our cosy farm shop – Westerton is the perfect destination for a fun-filled pumpkin experience this October.

Visit www.westertonfarmers.co.uk for booking and more information.

Ernespie Farm, Dumfries & Galloway

Saturday 12 - Wednesday 30 October

This year Ernespie Farm are hosting their biggest ever Pumpkin Patch! Grab your wellies, throw on a waterproof (just to be safe!) and join for some farm fun. Open daily between 10am – 5pm, as well as picking your own pumpkins, there will be carving stations set up, fun games for you to play and plenty of spooktacular photo opportunities! Pumpkin Picking at Ernespie Farm is the perfect way to spend an autumn day with the whole family.

Also included in your ticket is access to the outdoor play & soft play area, home to bouncy pillows, pedal carts, a converted combine harvester, and lots of furry animals. And while you’re here make sure to pop into the spacious Farmhouse Kitchen, serving hot food until 3.45pm.

Visit www.ernespiefarm.co.uk for more information.

Grains Farm, Aberdeenshire

Open: Saturday 19, Sunday 20, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October

This is an exciting time for Grains Farm, as 2024 marks their first ever year offering a PYO pumpkin patch!

Though smaller in scale compared to some other patches across Scotland, there will still be plenty of pumpkin varieties to pick from and lots of excitement to enjoy.

Your pumpkin patch ticket must be prebooked and includes access to the newly opened Farm Park, where you can explore the great outdoors, meet friendly animals, and enjoy fun activities for the whole family. Check the Grains Farm website for more information and booking details. www.grainsfarm.co.uk

Charleton Fruit Farm, Angus

Saturday 28 September - Thursday 31 October

Charleton Fruit Farm has built a fantastic reputation as a great PYO soft fruit farm, and every autumn, they open their popular pumpkin patch to thousands of eager visitors.

Home to pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, Charleton’s patch remains open every day for an impressive four and a half weeks throughout the entirety of autumn. There is no entrance fee and pre-booking is not required - simply turn up at a time of your choosing and pay for what you pick.

While you’re there, be sure to pop into the onsite café and farm shop to grab some delicious fresh food and visit the outdoor play area to let the little ones burn off some energy!

For details visit: www.charleton-farm.co.uk

Broadslap Fruit Farm, Perthshire

Saturday 5 - Thursday 31 October

Broadslap Fruit Farm returns with its annual PYO pumpkins, offering patch-goers a wide selection of shapes and sizes - simply pay for what you pick.

As well as picking your own pumpkins, enjoy a visit to the fantastic onsite café for a cosy cuppa or some delicious home baking. And if you’re with little ones, be sure to stop by the thrilling play barn for some excitement.

The pumpkin patch will be open from Wednesday to Sunday, with various time slots available, starting at 9:30am and finishing at 4pm each day. Tickets will be available in early September. Make sure to follow Broadslap Fruit Farm online so you don’t miss any details.

For full details visit: www.broadslapfruitfarm.co.uk

Pathhead Farm, Angus

Open Saturday 19, Sunday 20, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October Pathhead Farm in Kirriemuir is running its famous Pumpkin patch over two weekends in October!

As well as picking your own delicious pumpkins, the team at Pathhead will be hosting a ‘fright night’ on the evening of Sunday 27th, come along for lots of scary fun and tasty treats!

There will also be a quieter pumpkin picking session out with normal hours on Friday 25th. Keep an eye out on Pathhead Farm’s social media for more information!

For details visit: www.pathhead.com

All information about these pumpkin PYO opportunities is also available on the Go Rural website www. goruralscotland.com . This also has a host of information about a wide range of agritourism ventures and well worth a look. Thanks to the Go Rural team for sharing the information with Scottish Farming Leader.

Good luck to all those hosting a PYO pumpkin experience or those who venture to support them.

For information on how your business could benefi t from agritourism, please visit scottishagritourism.co.uk.

Readers we know that pumpkins have so many more uses than being turned into spooky Hallowe’en creations. (We also know that turnips are not to be forgotten about either!) Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, pumpkin is an incredibly healthy food source. It can be a low-calorie option as part of a weightloss diet and help boost your immune system amongst many other traits. So, to whet your taste buds here are a few tasty recipes we suggest you try.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

(Prep time: 35mins. Cook 1hr. Serves four.)

Ingredients

• 1 pumpkin, about 1.5-2kg (save the seeds –toast them in a dry pan to serve)

• 1tbsp garam masala

• 2tsp ground coriander

• 2tsp ground cumin

• ½-1tsp chilli flakes or powder, plus a pinch

• 3tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• ginger, peeled and finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 900ml veg stock

• 100ml double cream or crème fraiche, plus extra to serve

Method

STEP 1: Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds with a spoon (see tip below). Cut into wedges or chunks (keep the skin on) and tip into a bowl. Put the garam masala, and 1 tsp each of the coriander and cumin into a small bowl and mix with 2 tbsp of the oil and season. Drizzle over the pumpkin and toss well to coat in the spiced oil. Transfer to a baking tray, spread out evenly and roast for 40-45 mins, turning halfway through cooking, until the pumpkin is very soft when pierced with a fork. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes.

Step 2: Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 10 mins until soft. Add the ginger, garlic and remaining spices and chilli flakes, and fry for a few more minutes until fragrant. Pour in the stock and bring to a gentle simmer.

Step 3: When the pumpkin is cool enough to touch, use a spoon to scoop the soft flesh from the skins. Add the soft pumpkin to the stock pan, discarding the skins. Remove from the heat and blitz the soup with a hand blender until creamy and smooth. Season to taste, adding extra chilli or garam masala if you like. Put back over a low heat and stir in the cream. Bring to a gentle simmer, then serve in bowls with a drizzle more cream and a pinch of chilli to serve. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds, if you like.

Pumpkin pie

(Prep time: 40mins. Cook 1hr 30mins. Serves eight.)

Ingredients

• 750g/1lb 10oz pumpkin peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks

• 350g sweet shortcrust pastry

• plain flour, for dusting

• 140g caster sugar

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp fresh nutmeg, grated

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 25g butter, melted

• 175ml milk

• 1 tbsp icing sugar

Method

Step 1: Place the pumpkin in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins or until tender. Drain pumpkin; let cool.

Step 2: Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 22cm loosebottomed tart tin. Chill for 15 mins. Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans, then bake for 15 mins. Remove the beans and paper, and cook for a further 10 mins until the base is pale golden and biscuity. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Roast Pumpkin & Spinach Lasagne

(Prep time: 25mins. Cook 2hrs 5mins. Serves six.)

Ingredients

• 750g Crown Prince pumpkin

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 500g spinach, washed

• 1 tbsp butter, plus extra for greasing

• whole nutmeg, for grating

• 6 fresh lasagne sheets

• 100g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), freshly grated

Method

For the tomato sauce

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 celery stick, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 400g can cherry tomato

• 2 tsp light muscovado sugar

Step 1: Heat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas

6. Halve the pumpkin, peel, deseed, then slice into 1cm slices. Toss with the oil in a roasting tin, season, then roast until tender and slightly charred at the edges. This can take up to 40 mins.

Step 2: Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. In a pan, soften the onion in the oil for 5 mins, then add the celery and garlic and cook for 1 min more. Add the tomatoes and sugar, then leave to simmer, uncovered, for 30 mins. Stir from time to time. You should be left with a thick purée. Season to taste.

Step 3: Put the spinach in a saucepan with the water that still clings to it after washing, cover and put over a medium heat. Wilt the spinach for about 4 mins – you’ll need to turn it over with tongs every so often to make sure it all comes in contact with the heat at the bottom of the pan. When completely wilted, leave until cool enough to handle, then squeeze the water out with your hands. Chop and put in a pan with the butter. Gently heat, tossing together so the

Step 3: Increase oven to 220°C/200°C fan/ gas 7. Push the cooled pumpkin through a sieve into a large bowl or blend to a puree in a food processor. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, nutmeg and half the cinnamon. Mix in the beaten eggs, melted butter and milk, then add to the pumpkin purée and stir to combine. Pour into the tart shell and cook for 10 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Continue to bake for 35-40 mins until the filling has just set.

Step 4: Leave to cool, then remove the pie from the tin. Mix the remaining cinnamon with the icing sugar and dust over the pie. Serve chilled.

For the bechamel sauce

• 500ml full-fat milk

• 6 peppercorns

• ½ onion

• 1 bay leaf

• 50g plain flour

• 50g butter

spinach is coated in butter, then season with salt, pepper and a generous grating of nutmeg.

Step 4: For the béchamel sauce, bring the milk to the boil in a pan with the peppercorns, onion and bay leaf. Set aside for 5 mins to infuse, then strain the milk into another pan. Add the flour and butter, then gently heat, whisking all the while, until you have a thick, smooth sauce.

Step 5: Heat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6 and assemble the lasagne. Butter a large gratin or baking dish, roughly 1.4 litres in capacity. Put a layer of pumpkin in the bottom followed by a layer of tomato sauce. Lay lasagne sheets on top of this, cutting them to fit if necessary (you don’t want any overlapping). Now add a layer of béchamel followed by a scattering of spinach and half the cheese. Top with more lasagne sheets, pumpkin, tomato sauce, more lasagne and a final layer of béchamel sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake for 40 mins, or until the lasagne is golden and bubbling.

Been creative in the kitchen?

If you have given any of the recipes a go or tried out your own, don’t forget to tag us on social media (NFU Scotland on Facebook, @nfustweets on X and @nfuscotland on Instagram) using the hashtag #SFLPumpkins.

We can’t wait to see your creations and feature them in the December issue!

Regional ACTIVITY

BUILD TIME IN FOR YOURSELF

HIGHLAND

REGIONAL MANAGER

Ian Wilson

07775 915 988

ian.wilson

@nfus.org.uk

The autumn work period is one of the busiest times of year for many farmers and crofters as we try to get things up-to-date before the start of winter. Despite being busy it’s still important to look after yourself. I’ve been to a couple of things that are easy to fit into your day – firstly the RSABI Health Hut initiative. The team are at many shows and markets where a health practitioner is on hand to take check your blood pressures and give some basic health advice. It’s an opportunity to pick up on some early health warnings. Secondly there’s Farmstrong’s walk and talk afternoons. I went to one recently hosted by one of our Branch Chairs, Robbie Newlands and his wife Kirsty. The Newland’s were excellent hosts. We heard about their farming system and how important family was in the whole business. We had a great discussion and shared some ways

in which we all deal with both the physical and mental challenges we all face in our daily lives and about the busy work schedules we all have.

The common thread from both initiatives is the importance of taking time for yourself and ensuring that you are in both top physical and mental condition to handle the difficult times thrown at our businesses by seasons and

financial fluctuations. Everyone prepares the farm and machinery for the busy times, getting the quad bike serviced pre-lambing or combine checked over before harvest, yet many, if not most, don’t take anytime for themselves. Don’t forget that the most important bit of kit on any farm is yourself and your family. Take time to check on neighbours, family and friends too – it’s good to talk.

Know a potential new member?

Our Group secretaries and their staff are busy taking every opportunity to increase our membership. If any of you know of non-members we should be targeting to get recruited into membership please get in touch with our local offi ces or myself.

ORKNEY

REGIONAL

John Laughton

01856 872 048

john_laughton @nfus.org.uk

WSheep scab focus

e are in the middle of the autumn sales season for both cattle and sheep with a huge number of livestock moving off and on farm. With this comes risks, particularly for sheep fl ocks. The incidence of sheep scab in Orkney has been on the rise these past couple of years with new sheep moving on farm having the potential to introduce this disease.

As well as following standard biosecurity measures – isolating any bought in sheep from the rest of the flock for at least three weeks and observing for any signs of

REGIONAL

07789 796 582

sheena.foster @nfus.org.uk

ORKNEY HARVEST

disease – we are encouraging all sheep owners to dip their sheep. NFU Scotland, along with other farming industry stakeholders, have been working closely together to ensure there is a huge focus to encourage and support all fl ockmasters to undertake this annually. There are now a good number of sheep dipping contractors in Orkney. If you have any queries regarding the routine dipping of sheep, please do not hesitate to contact us at the NFUS offi ce in Kirkwall or Karen Johnston at Orkney Livestock Association.

Writing this before harvest has started, I can only guess what the weather-gods have delivered during the make-orbreak month of September. The words ‘Indian Summer’ have been uttered in hope over recent weeks and, if this in fact has been the case when you read this, then this will have gone a small way to compensating for the lack of ‘real’ summer weather. Saying that, barley crops in Orkney have fared well this year despite the lack of sunshine. In fact, many arable farmers from the mainland have commented on how advanced our crops have been at the beginning of August compared to crops further south. Needless to say, we will see the usual Greylag Geese combine chasers but plans are already in place to continue the fi ght against these nonnative pests.

STOCK-JUDGING SUCCESS

What a fantastic evening we had at the annual charity Stock-judging event, kindly hosted by the Denholm Family at Wester Lochdrum Farm, Bonnybridge.

A great turnout of 92 people tried their hand at the Stockjudging and were treated

to six classes of top-tier stock and an additional novelty class, all ably judged by Jim Johnston, Glenrig Farm.

Whilst our fabulous scorers Jenna Ballantyne and Amy Douglas tallied up the scores, members enjoyed a burger, home bakes and a few refreshments.

Young Farmers’ Section:

David Mitchel

Under 14s: Katie Gemmell

An amazing £1200 was raised for the Strathcarron Hospice.

A special thanks to all our event sponsors: Word Wide Sires, Lely, Tinto Farm Vets, Grayshill, Silo-king, Davidsons Animal Feeds, Fullwoodhead Dairy Supplies and Gordons, and to everyone who attended and contributed to making the event a great success.

AYRSHIRE

REGIONAL MANAGER

Mhairi Dawson

07718 425 053

mhairi.dawson @nfus.org.uk

REGIONAL MANAGER

Sheena Foster

07789 796 582

sheena.foster @nfus.org.uk

How you could help RHET

RHET Ayrshire and Arran help pupils to learn about food and farming and to create an understanding of the environmental, economic and social realities of rural Scotland. Their services and resources are free and dependent on wonderful volunteers within farming and agricultural communities.

RHET are looking for volunteers to deliver classroom talks on farming issues e.g. journey of food (arable, livestock), sustainability, environmental, engineering, technology, biodiversity. Many schools are interested in “a day in the life of a farmer”! RHET support schools with World of Work Week and your talk could encourage a pupil to consider a career in agriculture. Talks are 30-60 minutes and at primary and secondary level. RHET will provide resources, training and support. Contact ayrshire@rhet.org.uk

BRINGING AYRSHIRE TOGETHER TO ‘THINK DAIRY’ CAREERS

Strength in Places project, Digital Dairy Chain, has been working tirelessly to identify and highlight the skills shortage for careers in dairy farming and in the supply chain across the country. Skills Lead, Lynne Somerville is working with partners across Lanarkshire to ensure there is a positive future for young people currently in education from school to university level, those outside the labour market and career changers, to find, and train, in jobs across the sector. The initiative is now being rolled out across Ayrshire regions with a multipartner approach.

Lynne says: “We want the Think Dairy Careers initiative

to bridge the skills gap by attracting new talent and upskilling those already in the sector to address the recruitment and skills gap challenges businesses, such as farms in the sector, face on a day-to-day basis. Working with such a wide variety of partners will be the key to ensuring that the Digital Dairy Chain, via the Think Dairy Careers initiative, is building that much needed robust talent pipeline to underpin that workforce for the future”

If you want to find out more about the different careers in dairy and what the Digital Dairy Chain are doing in South and West Scotland and Cumbria, please visit digitaldairychain.co.uk

NORTH EAST

MSHOW SEASON: FOUR SHOWS ACROSS

DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY

REGIONAL MANAGER

Mhairi Dawson

07718 425 053

mhairi.dawson @nfus.org.uk

Show season came and went in its normal whirlwind fashion! Four shows across 12 days with NFUS and NFU Mutual hosting stands at three of those. Congratulations to Dairy Policy Manager Tracey Roan and family for taking the Champion of Champions at Stewartry with Champion Holstein Colvend Crockett Sunray EX 91. A big ‘thank you’ to the teams at NFU Mutual Stranraer and NFU Mutual Dumfries for all their hard work at Stranraer, Dumfries and Wigtown shows. President Martin Kennedy came to Stranraer whilst VicePresident Andrew Connon was at both Dumfries and Wigtown. Livestock and LFA Policy Manager, Lisa Hislop and John Davidson (CEO) also came to Dumfries, and Regional Chair, Stewart Wyllie spent a lot of time on the stand. We hope you

REGIONAL MANAGER

Lorna Paterson 07786 860 453 lorna.paterson @nfus.org.uk

Great shows

embers, staff and office-bearers enjoyed favourable weather at Turriff and Keith Shows in August. At Turriff, we hosted successful meetings on the stand with cross party politicians and Aberdeenshire Council

representatives covering variety of subjects including: lack of clarity on future funding; concerns about climate change calculators not being fit for purpose; species management issues; use of land for rewilding and tree planting; deep concerns about infrastructure proposals which will impact upon landscape, housing and farm businesses alike; mental health concerns and problems associated with Scottish Agricultural Wages Board. The Unsung Hero Award presentation on Sunday Night at our Drinks Reception, kindly sponsored by local farmer, Malcolm Allan (Housebuilder) was a great success. Recipient, Gary Christie from Haughs of Glass, was quite overwhelmed when many clues and testimonials were read out by Martin Kennedy before he was announced

found time to talk to them all. Again, thank you to all who attended from NFUS. Conversations were entirely dominated by the proposed Galloway National Park. We had the opportunity to engage with John Cooper MP and MSPs Finlay Carson, Emma Harper, and Colin Smyth as well as several local councillors on the issue. We acknowledge we have members who support the bid, but, at the time of writing over 75% of NFUS members who responded to our survey have stated they are against the creation of a Park in Galloway. Other issues discussed were bracken control, calf scheme reform and wool pricing.

On National Parks, NFUS have recently held several meetings with NatureScot, politicians and relevant organisations and continue to be fully engaged in the consultation process. We will update members as we gain further details. Please make sure all your contact details are up-to-date, so you don’t miss anything. You will have received your regional handbook with contact details of your Branch and Regional Chair and Vice-

as the worthy winner.

Keith Show enjoyed great involvement from NFUS/NFUM staff and VicePresident, Alasdair Macnab. David Greer, Regional Vice-Chair and Banffshire Branch Chair, welcomed members and local new MP, Seamus Logan onto the stand for a round-up on key political issues.

Breakfast meeting

CEO, John Davidson and Head of Membership, James Buchanan hosted a breakfast discussion with Group Secretaries, Board members and Branch Chairs in mid-August. The focus was upon recruitment activities and proposed constitutional changes.

CHARITY FUNDRAISER AND BBQ

On Saturday, 17 August, Dee Don Branch Chair, Andy Smith opened his farm up to members, non-members and Young Farmer Clubs to participate in a charity fundraiser and BBQ. Martin Kennedy, Andrew Connon and James Buchanan all supported the event in person.

180 participants enjoyed stock-judging and machinery valuation competitions and a raffle, all of which raised a fantastic £1210 which will be donated to Anchor (cancer) Unit and RSABI. Well done to Andy and his family for all their preparations and to Group Secretary, Tommy Brodie for his support.

TRUST INTRODUCES

LANDSCAPE ENTERPRISE NETWORK

EAST CENTRAL

REGIONAL MANAGER

Kate Maitland

07919 001 23 kate.maitland @nfus.org.uk

Forth Rivers Trust is currently developing Scotland’s first Landscape Enterprise Network (LENs) in the Leven region. LENs unites businesses, public bodies, NGOs, farmers, and land managers to finance and implement nature-based and agricultural initiatives aimed at enhancing the health, productivity, and resilience of landscapes that are essential to all stakeholders.

LENs are already operational in five regions across England and Europe, with over 40 organisations and 160 farmers participating. These organisations have invested in famers to implement measures that support carbon reduction and sequestration, flood risk mitigation, soil regeneration, biodiversity and habitat creation, water quality improvements, and resilient supply chains. The measures that farmers have adopted include cover

crops, tree planting, buffer strips, alternative fertiliser trials, and wetland creation.

The Leven LENs team at Forth Rivers Trust aim to replicate the successes of existing LENs by identifying and implementing a long-term investment strategy for farmers in the Leven region. This strategy will enable farmers to manage the land in a way that ensures the Leven landscape remains healthy and productive, while also ensuring the resilience of food production and farming livelihoods in the region.

As well as Leven LENs, Forth Rivers Trust are also keen to hear from farmers who are interested in the idea of a farmer cluster and they recently held an event in Kinross to discuss LENs, clusters and other collaboration opportunities.

If you wish to hear more please contact me.

Rural Diffuse Pollution on Priority Catchments

SEPA will be undertaking visits to farms situated on the River Earn and within the Dunning area as part of monitoring Diffuse Pollution Priority Catchments in Scotland. These are rivers and coastal areas that are failing to meet water quality standards and with land mangers and local business connected to the catchments they hope to improve the water quality

As such, SEPA officers will be visiting land managers in this catchment, to discuss ways in which they can reduce the risks of diffuse pollution and provide advice on relevant legislation, including the Diffuse Pollution General Binding Rules (GBRs).

SEPA will phone initially to book a convenient date and time and will confirm this with a text.

We had a busy show season with crofters and farmers along with the public coming out to in force to attend the local agricultural shows.

NFU Scotland and NFU Mutual were joined by many members, friends and family in their annual tent stand at the Cunningsburgh Show. NFU Scotland VicePresident, Alastair Macnab attended and was tasked with judging the Supreme Sheep Champion. He said, ‘I enjoyed judging the sheep inter-breed with an excellent selection of bred champions on show’. Throughout the day, members came in for a

PUBLIC COME OUT IN FORCE TO SUPPORT LOCAL SHOWS

REGIONAL POLICY ADVISOR

Lee Smith

07554 741 030

lee.smith@ nfus.org.uk

cuppa and a chat with Alasdair, Cecil Eunson our Shetland Branch Chair, staff and fellow crofters and farmers. Most of the chat focused on goose control, peatland restoration, crofting reform, SRUC Rural Island Project and the SRUC Island Transport Survey.

Additionally, Cecil Eunson, Regional Vice-Chair Laura Sinclair, and Group Secretary Darren Stewart, met with Emma Roddick MSP and Alastair Carmichael MP to discuss crofting and farming issues at a local level. Laura commented, “It was great to meet Alastair. Although he has been our MP for a considerable amount of time and always had a strong presence in Shetland, I’ve never met him face-to-face. We spoke about the UK budget and the need to get an agricultural funding commitment from Labour on this. We also spoke about the SRUC Rural and Islands Report 2023 which finally recognises the unique position we are in compared with the Scottish mainland. The majority of our member’s concerns relate to devolved matters which Alastair

had a good grasp of”.

Following an insightful and lengthy meeting with Emma, Laura said “Meeting Emma has opened a new channel of communication, and she is very interested to hear about local issues our members face. She has Shetland connections and seems to understand that central policy doesn’t always work for all.”

The main topics discussed included:

• Agricultural Bill – one size does not fi t all and going forward it is crucial that enough thought is given to ensure it is inclusive and flexible.

• Food Production – worried this gets lost in new policy. It’s important to be self-sufficient where we can in terms of agricultural outputs.

• Crofting Law Consultation – it’s been a long time coming and we feel it has lost momentum with a lack of engagement from crofters. No fundamental changes proposed which are going to benefi t crofters.

• SRUC Rural and Islands Report 2023 – disappointed at lack of publicity and time of release

• Peatland Restoration – the more we ask for answers the most questions we have. There is a lot of pressure on members to sign up for this, but no-one can provide a definite answer on the full consequences, particularly when dealing with croft land.

• Local issues including transport (plane and ferry), cost of living, tourism and local businesses such as the Mart and Abattoir.

SHETLAND

ARGYLL & ISLANDS

REGIONAL MANAGER Lucy Sumsion

07787 434 104 lucy.sumsion @nfus.org.uk

MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND CONNECTIVITY VISITS ISLAY SHOWS

The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Jim Fairlie MSP, spent two days visiting Islay this summer, and took the opportunity to engage with Union members during a visit to the Archibald family at Craigens Farm, a current QMS Argyll Monitor

New Farm and Croft Woodland Advisor

Argyll & the Isles Coast and Countryside Trust (ACT) have appointed Jane Gibson as their Farm and Croft Woodland Advisor to help promote rainforest restoration and support the Argyll & the Isles Rainforest Strategy.

Jane (pictured) said, “My role involves identifying and working with farmers and crofters who own or manage native woodlands. My initial focus area includes farms and crofts in Knapdale and West Cowal, however those from further afield are welcome to get in touch as well.”

In her role Jane can help:

• Conducting baseline condition

Farm, followed by a visit to the NFU Scotland stand at the Islay Agricultural Show the following day. Good discussion took place and amongst a number of topics, members were able to highlight the following key points to the Minister.

• Uncertainly over future support

assessments on existing native woodlands to identify the current condition of your woodlands.

• Exploring opportunities to integrate other habitats and potential for agroforestry.

• Facilitating partnerships between farmers, crofters and landowners to share information and expertise on woodland management.

payments making it very difficult for farmers and crofters to implement business plans. On Islay this is particularly problematic in relation to the uncertainty of the Local Goose Management Scheme.

• Lobbying for a more meaningful dialogue between NFU Scotland and Transport Scotland, specifically in relation to ferries and the transport of livestock.

She adds, “By adopting suitable management practices, Argyll’s rainforest can integrate well with farm and croft businesses, providing long-term value and benefits for nature, livestock and people.”

You can contact Jane via email: janegibson@act-now.org.uk or phone: 07908 116399. For further information visit www.act-now.org.uk

REGIONAL MANAGER

Lindsay Brown 07780 441 750 lindsay.brown @nfus.org.uk

NETHERURD HOME FARM VISIT

We had a superb visit to Netherurd Home Farm at the start of August hosted by the Adamson family. Andrew Adamson shared with us the history of the farm and how he is continuing the previous generation’s commitment to agroforestry across the farm as a long-term investment, recognising the many benefi ts it provides the environment, biodiversity and overall farm management.

Andrew produces highquality finished cattle and sheep. Following the farm introduction, we jumped onto a trailer and took

a tour round the farm to see all the livestock who benefi t from the shelter provided by the trees. We looked at various wooded areas at all different stages of growth, from those ready to be felled to the recently replanted areas with a variety of different species. Andrew is committed to putting the ‘Right Tree in the Right Place’ and has successfully managed to do this across the farm.

Lisa Hislop, Policy Manager, was able to join us and provided an update on the work of the Livestock & LFA committees. We

REDUCED PRICES

SINGLE PHASE, 3.5HP,1800PSI, 11LPM ... £2665

SINGLE PHASE, 5HP,2200PSI, 14LPM £2875

THREE PHASE, 7.5HP,2700PSI, 15LPM. .£2800

THREEPHASE, 10HP,3000PSI, 18LPM £3150 PETROL, 16 HP,3625PSI, 25LPM ............. £5650

COMMERCIAL METAL

BUNDED FUEL TANKS STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS

•3mm British steel

•230 volt /60litreper min pump

•6m delivery hose

•Water &particulate filter

•Mechanical flow metre

•Autoshut offnozzle

•Contents gauge

•Deadlock with 2keys

•Lifting Eyes

•Steel box section across the base for forklift access andtoraisethe tank from the floor

•Painted green as standard(Anti -corrosion paint)

•BS799, OFS T200 & SSAFO compliant

WATER PRESSURE WASHERS STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS

cable

•Diesel firedboiler complete with 20 litrefueltank

•20litredetergent

•Max

•Pressure

Membership contacts

Do you need to update your membership information? Is the correct member of the family receiving NFU Scotland post? Can we update your contact details mobile number, email address or name of contact? Please get in touch with Lindsay on 07780 441750 to do this.

took the opportunity to discuss what was on the agenda of the upcoming meetings, to get input from a wider number of members. As always it was fantastic to have different members joining us for the afternoon.

earning Young Drivers about

NFU Scotland members benefi t from access to a range of helplines (all accessible from the home page of the Union’s website). Jamie Smith, champions the Agriculture Vehicle and Transportation Helpline. Members can use this helpline for 20 minutes FREE advice on all issues relating to vehicles.

Scottish Farming Leader, spoke with Jamie recently to learn more about the subject of Young Drivers and here’s what he had to say.

One of the questions I am asked most often is “what can a young person drive”? It is quite a complicated subject and depends on the age of the driver and the vehicle they wish to drive so I will try to explain the rules.

Before passing your driving test

At 16 a young person can apply for a provisional driving licence for an agricultural or forestry tractor. This only covers them going to their test, taking the test and returning from the test if they fail. L plates must be displayed front and rear.

If a passenger seat is fi tted an instructor (person who is at least 21 and has held a full licence for three years or more) must be in the tractor with the young person. However, if a passenger seat is not fi tted, they should not have anyone with them.

The entire weight of the tractor must be carried on wheels (not tracks) and the vehicle must be no more than 2.45m wide and is not permitted to tow a trailer.

After passing your test

After the young person has passed their test, they are still restricted to a maximum of 2.45m wide (including any implement or trailer) wheeled tractor and can only tow a two wheeled or close coupled wheeled trailer. Close coupled is where the centres of the two trailer axles are no more than 840mm apart.

When the young holder of a “full” tractor licence turns 17 they are allowed to drive any tractor with or without an implement or trailer, subject to the usual construction and use rules.

A 17-year-old starting out their driving career has slightly diff erent rules, and always remember that a category F (wheeled tractor) licence comes with a car licence. So, on a provisional licence the 17-year-old still needs L plates front and rear and again the rules above still apply for an instructor. But the young person can drive on the road subject to these conditions even if they are not going to, taking or returning from their test. They are not allowed to tow a trailer with a provisional licence. Once they have passed their test they can drive any wheeled tractor with or without implements or trailers subject to the usual rules.

Class explanation

There are two other classes of vehicles which need to be explained.

A tracked vehicle requires a category H licence. This requires a separate test and the driver must be at least 21 to do this. A tracked vehicle is described as a vehicle steered by its tracks. So, as an example, a John Deere 8RT would require a category H licence as it has only two tracks and is steered by altering the relative speed of the two tracks. An 8 RX, on the other hand, would require a category F licence as it is steered by turning the front tracks, the same way as if it were on wheels. A case Quadtrac is also a category F as it is steered by articulation.

The fi nal class of vehicle is an

Words by Jamie Smart, NFU Scotland Agriculture Vehicle and Transportation Helpline

agricultural vehicle which is not a tractor, so vehicles such as combines, telehandlers, self-propelled sprayer or self-propelled forage harvesters etc. These are driven on a standard car licence with age related weight bands. At 17 the driver is restricted to 3.5 tonnes, at 18 this is increased to 7.5 tonnes and to exceed 7.5 tonnes the driver must be 21.

Failure to comply with these rules may result in the driver and operator of the vehicle being charged and any insurance being invalidated.

For any vehicle-related questions, please contact our vehicle helpline, 07733 136 424. Please ensure you have your membership number to hand.

Other NFU Scotland Helplines include:

Legal and Tenancy Issues Helpline (operated by Gillespie MacAndrew)

Tax Helpline (operated by Johnston Carmichael)

Scottish Dairy Hub

Davidson & Robertson Utilities and Infrastructure Helpline

HR Helpline Services

Please explore the details of each of these by visiting the Members Helpline Services section of our website www.nfus.org.uk