Argyll farmer steps down from chairman of forum
ARGYLL farmer Angus MacFadyen has stepped down from his chairmanship of the Argyll and Isles Agricultural Forum after 19 years.
Angus, a livestock farmer from Bragleenmore Farm, Kilninver, handed over the reins on Friday March 17, at the forum’s most recent meeting, to Kintyre’s Sandy Pirie.
On behalf of the forum, Bill Dundas, principal agricultural officer with Rural Payments and Inspections Division in Oban, acknowledged the significant contribution Angus has made.
Bill said: ‘Angus has given a great deal of his own time to the forum to secure a better future for Argyll’s agricultural sector over the past 19 years and it has been greatly appreciated.
‘This has been not only through his time chairing meetings, but all the activity that goes on behind the scenes that many of us don’t realise.
‘I have only been involved in the forum for the past 12 years and in that time have seen the development of the Argyll and Islands Agricultural Strategy in 2005 and the delivery of tangible activities against that strategy.
‘This has been far more than just a round-table, tick-box engagement process.’
In addition to this, Fergus Younger, who joined the forum in 2006, has also stepped down to take on a full-time role with the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society.
Bill acknowledged the contribution that Fergus has made over the past 10 years.
This has included developing and delivering on some of the strategic priority actions: the development of the Food From Argyll brand, work on the Argyll Hill Lamb project, the island slaughterhouses, the working farm woodlands and, most recently, the work with Kintyre and Bute’s dairy farmers.
Bill said: ‘The appointment of a full-time development officer, Fergus Younger, in 2006, gave the forum the opportunity to deliver on its aspirations. Securing the funding was one of the most impressive bits of partnership working I have been involved in and Angus was instrumental in this.
‘There are some great results from this work and I do believe the forum has made Argyll’s agricultural sector stronger and more prosperous and Angus has been a crucial part of that.
‘On behalf of the farming community in Argyll and the islands and the other forum members, I thank both Fergus and Angus for the valuable contribution they have made.’
Kintyre dairy farmer Sandy Pirie has now taken on the chairmanship of the forum, with John Dickson, a livestock farmer from Bute and who is also currently NFU Scotland’s regional board chairman, taking on the vice- chairman’s role.
Angus will remain very much to the fore of agricultural policy development in his role as chairman of NFU Scotland’s environment and land use committee, having just been re- elected to this position for the second year.