Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - 
Shadow Rural Affairs Minister and North East SNP MSP Richard Lochhead and Banff and Buchan SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson have hailed their farmers surgery earlier this week in Turriff a success. Farmers from across Banff and Buchan and Gordon used the opportunity to raise a range of pressing issues with the two MSPs who have in turn pledged to raise them in the Scottish Parliament with Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie. Such issues range from the rising cost of fuel and fertiliser to the need for measures to attract new entrants to the sector.
Speaking after the meeting Mr Lochhead said:
"There was unanimous concern expressed over the impact rising fuel and fertiliser costs that threaten to cripple local farming operations. One farmer told us his fuel costs had risen by 40% and fertiliser by 30% in the past year alone. No wonder, farmers are waiting nervously for their next set of accounts.
"The running sore of the beef national envelope continues and it is opposed not only by farmers that expect to lose out, but by those who expect to benefit financially and that speaks volumes about this controversial decision.
"We have also agreed to investigate the potential for biomass and biofuels as an extra source of income for farmers and a means by which they may be able to access cheaper energy in the future. Stewart Stevenson and I will be raising these issues in Parliament and also at a forthcoming meeting with Ross Finnie."
"The running sore of the beef national envelope continues and it is opposed not only by farmers that expect to lose out, but by those who expect to benefit financially and that speaks volumes about this controversial decision.
"We have also agreed to investigate the potential for biomass and biofuels as an extra source of income for farmers and a means by which they may be able to access cheaper energy in the future. Stewart Stevenson and I will be raising these issues in Parliament and also at a forthcoming meeting with Ross Finnie."
Stewart Stevenson added:
"Despite the very real challenges that face the industry, farmers are optimistic that if the policies are right then farming in the North East will prosper. However, measures have to be found to attract new entrants to the sector and to attract the necessary skills that are required in modernising farming.
"If the supermarkets were able to pass on some of their profits down the supply chain then farmers would receive more of a reward for their produce and that is something that has to be revisited. Questions arose over the effectiveness of the Code of Practice signed by the supermarkets as farmers are not all getting a bigger slice of the cake and part of every pound between the farm gate and the plate remains unaccounted for."
"If the supermarkets were able to pass on some of their profits down the supply chain then farmers would receive more of a reward for their produce and that is something that has to be revisited. Questions arose over the effectiveness of the Code of Practice signed by the supermarkets as farmers are not all getting a bigger slice of the cake and part of every pound between the farm gate and the plate remains unaccounted for."
