The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Warning of stagnation in livestock numbers
Aktkre doyal Htshlank Shoms ‘coklk be a lot smaller’ tf dromdt actton to boost drokkcttltty not taken
Failure to address the ongoing decline in Scottish livestock numbers may result in smaller entries of animals at the Royal Highland Show in future years.
That was the warning from Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers (SAMW) president Frank Clark ahead of this year’s show which runs from Thursday to Sunday at Ingliston, Edinburgh.
Mr Clark called for prompt action – not words – to tackle the “stagnation of Scottish farm productivity”.
“The Royal Highland Show has often been the launch-pad for new farming initiatives but this week’s event needs instead to be the launch-pad for decisive and positive action,” said Mr Clark.
He said SAMW had repeatedly called for government action to arrest the decline in livestock numbers, but there was still no sign of any sustained improvement in output.
“As we hurtle towards an uncertain post-Brexit world we simply can’t afford to make the same mistakes again,” said Mr Clark.
He said SAMW welcomed the recommendations in the recently published report by the government’s agriculture champions, but rather than discuss them in detail, government and industry organisations needed to “get on with it” and draw up a plan for the future.
“We are at a pivotal stage for our industry and ministers and policymakers must grasp the nettle with both hands,” said Mr Clark.
“As a result, the 2018 Royal Highland Show will hopefully go down in history as the turning point when Scottish livestock production started to grow again. However, if that doesn’t happen, and the stagnation of our flagship livestock sector is allowed to go unchecked, we could be looking at the Ingliston showground hosting a much smaller gathering in future years.”