Farmers praised for efforts during the recent big freeze

SCOTLAND’S farmers have been praised for their efforts during the cold snap that affected many parts of the country last week.

NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick said: ‘The bad weather is further proof of what a difficult but vital job our farmers, crofters and growers do, as they continue to brave the Arctic conditions to keep Scotland’s food chains running and shop shelves stocked.

‘Our local secretaries, regional managers and head office staff have been taking many calls from members around the country and we are feeding their experiences into the Scottish Government and its Weather Advisory Panel.

‘Many of our members are struggling because of the snow and stormy conditions, with road closures and access issues causing problems for dairy and livestock farmers. The immediate impact of this is that many dairy farmers were not getting their milk collected and were forced to dispose of it in their slurry.

‘A statement from Arla, that it has agreed to cover the cost of milk that is disposed of if they are unable to collect any milk due to the road network being inaccessible or as a consequence of the freezing conditions, is very welcome.

‘Normal day to day tasks on farms took much longer than usual and people were having to deal with the problems that happen when the weather is so cold and there is a lot of snow. Livestock farmers, particularly those with hard-to-access grazing, struggled to get fodder to their stock in the fields. Despite these difficulties, our members struggled on, tending to their animals and land as they always do.’