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.”

MSP Comments On St Fergus Gas Terminal Policing

Commenting on the operational changes to policing at St Fergus Gas Terminal, local MSP Stewart Stevenson said:

“While policing at the St Fergus Gas Terminal will now be more visible, I understand that there is no increased threat to security there.

“In an uncertain world caused by the Prime Minister’s Middle Eastern adventures, it is a sad fact of life that we have to ensure that such installations are protected.

“Of course, given the rural nature of the area, it would be much more difficult for anyone who poses a threat to go about unnoticed and I am quite sure that local residents will play their part in reporting anything suspicious to the police.”

Stevenson Hails "Extremely Useful" Visit To Broadford

BOOST FOR LOCAL MATERNITY CAMPAIGN

Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson has hailed his fact-finding visit to NHS Highland’s birthing unit at Broadford on the Isle of Skye as “extremely useful”.

The SNP MSP met with Skye & Lochalsh Lead Midwife Rona Scott at the Dr MacKinnon Memorial Hospital yesterday (Tuesday) for discussions and a tour of the facility.

Health Minister Andy Kerr refused to endorse NHS Grampian’s plans to axe the units at Fraserburgh and Banff and ordered that the Health Board look at providing ‘birth units’ in the towns along the lines of the successful units in place elsewhere in Scotland.

Mt Stevenson had earlier in the year flagged up the success of the units run by NHS Highland, in particular the one at Broadford which had seen a trebling in the number of expectant mothers giving birth in their local area.

Commenting on his fact-finding visit, Mr Stevenson said:

“This was an extremely useful meeting indeed and I am very grateful to Lead Midwife Rona Scott for giving so freely of her time to answer my questions.

“The set-up at Broadford is an excellent example of the type of facility which could work very easily in places such as Banff and Fraserburgh. NHS Grampian have already confirmed to me in discussions last week that the criteria for expectant mothers using a birthing unit would be exactly the same as that for those who currently give birth in their own locality.

“I therefore see no reason why expectant mothers who are ‘low risk’ should not enjoy the benefits of a birthing unit and be able to give birth in their own community without the need for a long and sometimes stressful journey into Aberdeen.

“I was impressed by the dedication of the midwives at Broadford and their commitment to ongoing development of their skills through a series of initiatives. One of NHS Grampian’s key arguments against local units is that 50 births per annum is insufficient to maintain and develop midwifery skills. The midwives at Broadford have shown quite clearly that that can be quite easily overcome and that a valuable – and valued – local service can be maintained.

“I will be making a submission to both NHS Grampian and the Minister for Health based on my findings within the next few days.”