Farmers’ union candidate Ian looking to go ‘back to basics’

on what’s happening we shouldn’t be putting so much work into detailed scenarios because anything we do just now is just guesswork.”

Mr Sands, who farms 375 acres oilseed rape, wheat and barley of in partnership at Townhead, Balbeggie, also contract-farms a substantially bigger acreage. He lets land for potatoes, carrots and vining peas.

He has been chairman of the union’s cereals committee for four years and vice-chairman for the previous three years.

He said the future direction of NFU Scotland had to include a stronger focus on standing up to environmental critics and other misinformation or sensationalism in the media.

“We need to get organised and start correcting the misinformation and we need to do that by harnessing the science that is out there,” he said.

“We are under huge pressure from animal rights and environmental groups and these issues shouldn’t be allowed to lie. We have not been vocal enough in our responses and we need to try harder.”

Although his current farming is exclusively arable, Mr Sands said he grew up on a dairy farm near Errol on the Carse of Gowrie and has kept both sheep and cattle, giving him an understanding of all farming sectors. Lawrie & Symington, Forfar, had forward 39 prime cattle, 16 cows and 774 prime sheep and cast ewes. Bullocks (12) Sold to a 2.58ppk Gask, heifers (27) sold to 2.62ppk Nethermyres. Prime lambs (572) sold to £86 (three times) for Suffolks from Southtown of Melgund and to 197p for Texels from Cairncortie to average 162ppk. Tex. 182p Cairnleith, 178p Cairncortie, 176p Loyal, Cont. 177p Cairncortie, 176p Templeton, 175 Cairncortie, Suff. 172p Cairncortie, 164p Ashmore, Belt. 173p Templeton, 172p Ring. Ewes and rams (182) sold to £80 for Texel from Southtown of Melgund, Tex. £75 Wairds of Alpity, £72.50 Balconnel, Suff. £74 Southtown of Melgund. Cont. £70 Prieston, Mule £64 Wairds of Alpity. Albert Bartlett has secured a national listing with supermarket retailer Asda, to stock its new chilled mashed potato.

This is the firm’s first own-label chilled product, following a recent investment of £18 million in a chilled factory in Airdrie.

Ian Sands will stand for election as vicepresident of NFU Scotland.