Stevenson Backs NFU Campaign To Support Scottish Dairy Farmers

Member of the Scottish Parliament for Banff & Buchan, Stewart Stevenson, has backed a campaign by the National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland, to support Scottish Dairy Farmers in their efforts to receive a fair price for their milk from supermarkets.

NFU Scotland has brought the campaign to the Scottish Parliament, where they have been highlighting the seriousness of this issue to MSPs. Mr Stevenson met with NFU officials to discuss the challenges faced locally in the North-east as a result of the unfair pricing of milk by supermarkets.

Speaking following his meeting, Mr Stevenson said:

“I was delighted to see NFU Scotland had brought their campaign for fairer milk prices to the Scottish Parliament. This is an issue which is of the utmost importance to Scottish dairy farmers and I welcome the NFU’s move to bring pressure upon supermarkets to act on this matter.

“Agriculture is one of the most essential industries in the rural parts of my constituency, and I am very concerned at the figures which the NFU produced to demonstrate the effect unfair pricing of milk has had on dairy farmers. Over the last six years, one in four Scottish dairy farmers have gone out of business due to the present situation, and this scenario will only degenerate if supermarkets do not alter their present policies.

“I hope that by bringing their campaign to the Scottish Parliament, the NFU will force supermarkets to sit up and take notice, in order to prevent the further decline of Scotland’s dairy farming industry and, indeed, to preserve it’s long-term future.”