Committed to the future of farming
RHASS supporting sustainability and innovation to ensure a future for Scotland’s rural communities, writes Alan Laidlaw
Contrary to what people may think about the agricultural sector in the UK, farmers are among those at the forefront of sustainable change. Indeed, they have to be – farming is intrinsically linked to the wellbeing of the land, with a healthy environment essential to our food production systems.
The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) was founded over 200 years ago, and in that time the world has seen huge amounts of environmental change. Committed to ensuring that future generations can continue to live and work in scotland’ s rural communities, Rh ass supports sustainable practices and helps advance innovative thinking in the sector.
The Royal Highland Show, the Society’s flagship event, is an important, if not the most important, annual meeting place for farmers in Scotland and beyond.
The show provides a forum for farmers to discuss new ways of working, share best practice and discover new solutions that will help them to farm to the benefit of both their business and the land.
The RHASS Technical Innovation Awards area key part of rh ass’ s charitable remit and recognise the new products and inventions that are helping to develop the sector.
The award entries are truly heartening each year, as we witness first-hand the incredible designs that are helping to revolutionise the industry; whether that’ s a filter which reduces food waste caused by potato peel so ran environmentallyefficient grain drying system.
But sustainability isn’t just about being green, it’s also about ensuring that we build an industry that can meet the demands of tomorrow. young people are the key change makers of the future, so it’ s essential they are encouraged to pursue careers in the agri-sector.
One of the ways RHASS does this is through a series of awards and grants, focused on giving young peoplewouldn’t usually have had access to, like overseas projects and attending top conferences. one invites applications from ambitious young people from or based in scotland wishing to attend the Oxford Farming Conference, while another awards funding for a prestigious Nuffield Farming Scholarship.
The Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC) is another organisation that the Society works closely with to cultivate young leaders. in recent years, rh ass has helped fund a study trip to california, and provides access to sayfc members to the Royal Highland Show.
Looking back along the years, rh ass has a long history of supporting innovative ideas that have helped advance the sector. rh ass were pioneer sat the time in funding scientific research and the furtherment of veterinary studies through the patronage of, among others, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.
More recently, the Society has supported the development of progressive wheat breeding programmes and studies into regenerative agriculture. The claims surrounding the ecological impact of Britain’s farmers have been unfairly levelled against the industry in recent years.
Take the immediate debate around CO2; because of rising energy prices, manufacture of fertiliser products in the UK has been stopped. insomepeople’ s view this is a good thing because of the reduction of emissions, however, the CO2 produced as a by-product of fertiliser is essential for a number of medical procedures, food preservation and other uses that are vital to our daily functioning as a country.
The question is not whether to eat meat or not–the discussion must centre instead on how we ensure agricultureand closely aligned trades are best placed to ensure the sustainability of
our nation' s food supply, and delivering it in the most holistic fashion possible.
Events like the Highland Show and the awards and grants provided by RHASS help prompt change, encourage the farming community to bring the environment to the forefront of their thinking, and, ultimately, help shape a sustainable sector.