Farming protests in Scotland? Not at this time, says union president
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Union leader Martin Kennedy says he does not envisage protests by farmers in Scotland similar to those in a number of other countries.
The president of NFU Scotland sees justification for the action that has been taken in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Wales and elsewhere.
On whether Scottish protests should follow, however, he said his answer at this time would be "no".
Protests in Wales have been against the devolved government's proposed new farm subsidy scheme.
In a blog following NFU Scotland's annual general meeting, Mr Kennedy wrote: "The discontent that’s happening right across Europe and in some parts of the UK is fully understandable.
"As the threat of the green agenda, extra layers of bureaucracy, low retailer returns and decreasing support payments hit farmers on top of high input costs, the strain is bound to reach breaking point.
"I have been asked on many occasions if we should be taking the same type of action. At the moment, my answer to this is ‘no’.
"We need to ask ourselves exactly what would we be protesting about?"
Mr Kennedy, who farms in Highland Perthshire, went on: “What we cannot risk losing is consumer confidence and support for farmers, especially here in Scotland. That does not stop us from making our case loud and clear.
"I have absolutely no doubt that the Food Needs a Farmer rally we staged 14 months ago at Holyrood made a significant difference to the outcome of the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill.
"That rally not only galvanised our resolve to make sure politicians were aware that food production should be front and centre of any future agricultural policy, but it also encouraged more than 40 of our MSPs to come out and speak to many of our members.
"Given the announcements we heard from the First Minister at our national AGM in Glasgow, it now looks like the Scottish Government has listened to many of NFU Scotland’s key priorities."
Mr Kennedy claimed that "our influence is now paying real dividends" through "constructive dialogue".
He added: “There is no doubt there is a long way to go to ensure all farmers and crofters are in a profitable and sustainable position, but it’s plain to see the importance of NFU Scotland’s lobbying is absolutely key to reaching that goal.”
