Cracking on with the crop across Scotland’s farms
The inclusion of agriculture amongst the list of industries which can restart business next week left many farmers wondering who the Scottish Government thought had been sowing the crops and tending the stock over calving and lambing time.
However, Scotland’s arable farmers yesterday reported they had been pushing ahead with producing the crops that the nation relied on for food, drink and animal feed.
Speaking following a videoconference meeting of NFU Scotland’s combinable crops group, committee chair and East Lothian farmer Willie Thomson said that while the sector had been through a challenging spell, it was getting on with the job.
Issuing a positive and determined message, he reassured consumers and the marketplace that they had been persevering in the face of challenging weather, Covid-19 and Brexit uncertainties.
“Getting crops in the ground has been a challenge but we are there now,” he said. “The weather has flipped from being too wet through the autumn and winter to too dry this spring.”
But he said the sector had adapted – although this had often been at the cost of higher cultivation expenses and revised cropping plans.
A major concern was the need to see the distilling and brewing sectors fully operational again as soon as was safely possible – along with the need for individual farm businesses to plan ahead on issues like grain storage. The potential ramifications of the UK government’s new global tariff schedule announced this week also needed to be closely examined.
“But in response to Covid-19, growers and processors have all worked hard to adhere to the requirements of social distancing to keep themselves and workers as safe as possible,” saidthomson, who added that there had also been a constant dialogue with Scottish Government and key stakeholders throughout lockdown as to what was needed in the recovery phase.
“Beyond that, the end of the Brexit transition period in December 2020 will bring new challenges, as will climate change.”
Meanwhile a survey conducted by Scottish Land & Estates (SLE), highlighted that over 90 per cent of rural business owners in Scotland were confident they could reopen their enteprises while safely adhering to social distancing measures.
Some 56 per cent of the 250 businesses – which ranged from shooting and fishing to renewable energy and farming – were confident they could reopen all of their business safely while 36 per cent stated they could reopen part.
“This survey confirms that rural businesses are ready to help restart Scotland’s rural economy safely,” said SLE chief executive Sarah-jane Laing.
“Our members want to ensure that their employees, visitors, customers and the local community remain safe and they are confident they can do this.
She said while this was good news, the requirement for continued social distancing would bring a longer legacy as many businesses such as tourist attractions and holiday accommodation would not be able to work at full capacity. Laing said that the true extent of the cost of this pandemic would be ongoing for the foreseeable future – and long-term support would be required to help businesses adjust to those challenges.