NFU Scotland writes to Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity
Farmers and crofters are calling for urgent improvements to the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service (CHFS) for farmers and crofters.
In writing to Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity Jim Fairlie MSP, NFU Scotland has said that it is vital that Scottish Government work to tackle the transport issues that face its members across island and peninsula communities, as they continue to damage businesses and livelihoods.
It is a year since NFU Scotland met with the then Minister for Transport, Fiona Hyslop MSP in October 2023 to discuss ferry provision. Subsequent letters and correspondence sent to Transport Scotland have not received a reply and engagement with Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), which owns the ferries, ports, harbours, and infrastructure must be improved. The growing catalogue of problems encountered by NFU Scotland’s farming and crofting members include:
- Regular vessel breakdowns and further delays in the delivery of new vessels, coinciding with the introduction of the winter timetable, is causing significant disruption for members.
- Timetabling and dry-docking decisions, made increasingly without community consultation, continue to cause issues for businesses with both island-based communities and those servicing the islands.
- Securing advance bookings, for both commercial livestock hauliers and farmers and crofters traveling with their own livestock trailers continues to be difficult.
NFU Scotland President Martin Kennedy said: “The agricultural sector is hugely important to the economic and social viability of many island and remote communities, and like all people living and working in these area, farmers and crofters are heavily reliant on these lifeline ferry services.
“While our members have cultivated positive and useful engagement with Caledonian Macbrayne at a local level, we have had little opportunity to engage with CMAL and Transport Scotland. We need to ensure that all organisations are fully aware of, and understand, the issues and impacts relating to the agricultural sector.
“In the short-term, the cumulative impact of all the disruptions and restrictions means that farmers and crofters are being prevented, at a critical time of year, from reaching markets and receiving essential goods from the mainland.
“In the long-term, farmers and crofters dependent on ferries are seeking reassurance that the current dire situation will improve significantly. The increase in ferry fares announced for 2025 must come with a much-improved service.”
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Contact Bob Carruth on 0131 472 4006