U-turn on silage wrap tax is welcomed

It is wonderful news that central government has done a u-turn on its misguided proposal to hammer hardworking farmers and crofters with an extra £200 per tonne tax on their silage wrap, when a new Plastic Packaging Tax comes in to force in April.

The original plan was yet another example of urban virtue signalling from government hitting my rural constituents in their pockets.

Our farmers and crofters have had to face many challenges recently and the last thing they need is to be punished for producing silage.

Food security and employment must always come first.

Our farmers, crofters and fishermen have kept shop shelves full during the pandemic, so hitting them with an extra tax after all of that is quite simply an insult.

British farming is among the most sustainable and environmental in the world and needs no lessons from urban-based bureaucrats as to what is good for our countryside.

Councillor Alastair Redman, Kintyre and the Islands.