Union says outdated system is holding back jobs, investment and competitiveness.
NFU Scotland has used this year's Royal Highland Show to call on the new Scottish Government to abolish the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board (SAWB) within the first year of the newly formed Parliament, arguing that the current system is making Scottish farming less competitive than the rest of the UK.
With ministers, MSPs and industry leaders gathering in Edinburgh this week, the Union is urging the new administration to undertake urgent action to scrap the Board and modernise Scotland's agricultural employment framework.
While the equivalent Agricultural Wages Board in England was abolished in 2013, Scottish agriculture continues to operate under a separate statutory framework through the Scottish Agricultural Wages Order (SAWO).
NFU Scotland says the current system creates unnecessary complexity and duplication, particularly alongside the Scottish Government's Fair Work First requirements and changes to Employment legislation, adding costs and reducing flexibility for farm businesses already facing significant economic pressures.
NFU Scotland Vice President Robert Neill said:
"Scottish farmers support fair pay and good employment practices, but we also need a system that allows businesses to compete and grow."
"The Agricultural Wages Board is a relic of a different era. Farmers in Scotland are competing in the same marketplace as businesses elsewhere in the UK, but under a different set of rules."
The Union believes agriculture should operate within the same statutory employment framework as every other sector of the Scottish and UK economy.
NFU Scotland argues that removing the additional layer of regulation would help create a level playing field with competitors elsewhere in the UK, support recruitment and encourage investment in farm businesses.
Mr Neill added:
"If we want a profitable farming sector that can attract new entrants, create jobs and support thriving rural communities, we need policies that encourage growth rather than hold businesses back."
Agriculture underpins a wider food and drink sector worth around £19 billion to the Scottish economy and supporting approximately 130,000 jobs.
NFU Scotland is calling on the new Scottish Government to act decisively and listen to the thousands of farmers across the country who are unanimous in their view to disband the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board and bring Scottish agriculture into line with employment arrangements operating elsewhere in the UK.
Notes to editors:
- A photograph of Robert Neill is attached.
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Contact Carly Ross on 07860 642826