Union’s ferry service concern

Scotland's f arming union has raised concerns about a private firm being named the preferred bidder for a £ 243million six- year contract to provide ferry services to the Northern Isles.

NFU Scotland president Nigel Miller has written to Transport Minister Keith Brown over Serco's status on routes between the mainland and Orkney and Shetland and a lack of communication with the farming community on freight services. Mr Miller said farmers had been left questioning if the current level of service for livestock shipments will be maintained.

The farmers' union is the latest to express concerns. Transport union RMT has accused SNP

“Lack of engagement with the industry”

ministers of getting the contract “badly wrong".

The deal is on hold because rival bidder Streamline Shipping Group, which operates from Lerwick, Kirkwall and Aberdeen harbours, has lodged a legal challenge at the Court of Session as it believed its tender was of a higher quality than the successful bid.

Mr Miller said in his letter to Mr Brown: “The announcement that Serco Ltd had been selected as the preferred bidder for the Northern Isles ferry services, and was due to begin running services this summer, was a concern due to the lack of engagement that the company had with the industry.”

He said the current Northlink service has been delivered through two freight vessels which producers felt met their economic and animal welfare requirements. It was important any new operator worked to those same standards. He hopes a more open discussion can now take place on future services. NFU Scotland welcomed the moves, saying the steps suggested by Mr Ciolos were the first sign of him accepting that his rigid greening regime requires a radical overhaul if Cap re- forms are to allow farmers to improve environment while continuing to produce food.

Jonnie Hall, director of policy and regions, said the changes were still some way short of the greening vision set by the union at a recent conference it held in Edinburgh.

He added: “The statement moves the debate on in a number of important areas – eligible grazing land, the three-crop rule and environmental certification – but we maintain that flexibility is the key to delivery.

“One crucial area ignored – and probably the most contentious – is the notion of ecological focus areas which could take valuable land out of production in order to qualify for support payments.

“We remain adamant they fly in the face of encouraging the productive use of our better land and we will continue to press f or significant changes to the proposals if not their removal gether.

“Scotland’s arable land is already stitched together byagreen thread of hedges, dykes and woodlands that creates an abundance of corridors and habitats for wildlife.”

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