It was great to head out to Brussels this week with Vice President, Duncan Macalister, as part of our regular work in Europe. It is always excellent to get the four UK farming unions into the same space for discussion on what is impacting our collective members.

IHT remains the biggest ticket item by a country mile and the herculean effort put in by the four UK Unions on behalf of the farming sector cannot be underestimated.  Despite efforts, the UK Government has stood firm with plans that will devastate the industry, in the face of huge opposition and solid evidence. All eyes turn to the budget next week, the key next step in the process, with the hope that the Chancellor will take steps to make amends. 

The EU/UK reset remains a key area of discussion in Brussels and in the UK, and it is positive that the UK Government has reached an agreement to negotiate. This is a key step in negotiating a post-Brexit trade agreement and resetting trading relations between the UK and EU.  The hope is that this will reduce red tape and offer improved trade conditions for our products. As with any complex negotiation, there are inevitable bumps in the road. For Scottish farmers there are significant challenges on issues such as mycotoxins in oats, plant protection products, UHF tags and animal transport times. Our role is to make sure that these considerations remain at the forefront of discussions. 

It is hoped that there may be room within the common understanding to negotiate some room for exceptions from the need to dynamically align with EU rules on these issues.   Our discussions in Brussels this week have underlined the need for the Scottish Government to be at the heart of key discussions that will safeguard the interests of our sectors. 

It was great to meet Marion Picot, Secretary General for the European Council for Young Farmers (CEJA). NFUS joined this year as full members and our next generation group is one of our key policy discussion forums.  How to embed the interests of young people whilst balancing the needs of the current generation can be a thorny one. And the recent European Commission strategy on generational renewal has shown that challenges across Europe on access to land, finance and complex regulation are very much in common with what members experience in Scotland. One of the main barriers to succession for farmers in Europe is affordability. A complete lack of pension due to a lifetime of low profits has made it tough to retire and make way for the next generation. Profitability in agriculture is a huge challenge for Scottish agriculture, too, and it remains a key area of focus for NFUS.  Current policy development on fair dealings will help transparency and fairness, but we need to think harder about how primary producers get a better margin and how we can help this flow through to opportunities for those coming next.