Survey results to be released at 2019 Royal Highland Show

NFU Scotland is urging its membership to complete a survey to assess the confidence of Scotland’s farmers and crofters in the context of the Brexit process.

The results of the survey, entitled ‘Brexit and Business Confidence’ will be released on Thursday 20 June, the first day of the 2019 Royal Highland Show being held at Ingliston, near Edinburgh.  That date marks almost three years since the historic referendum on membership of the European Union on June 23, 2016.

The Union’s reasons for running this survey are two-fold:

To give it a clear picture of what confidence is like within the agricultural industry, so it can identify how best to support its growing membership through a time of great change.

It will also give the Union a strong, clear mandate on lobbying priorities as it continues to negotiate with politicians, governments and decision-makers on Brexit and a new agricultural policy for Scotland in the future.

All members will receive a printed copy of the three-page survey with the June edition of the membership magazine, the Scottish Farming Leader, to be completed and mailed back in the pre-paid envelope provided by Friday, 14 June.

The Brexit Member Confidence survey is also available to complete online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NFUSBrexitConfidence and will close at 10am on Monday, 17 June.

Announcing the launch of the survey, President Andrew McCornick said: “The Royal Highland Show in 2019 marks three years since the landmark EU referendum took place. How have those 36 months shaped business confidence amongst the nation’s farmers and crofters?

“Despite the best efforts of NFU Scotland and the wider business lobby, there remains little certainty as to what the business landscape for Scottish farm and croft businesses will be outside of the EU.

“That is why the results of this survey will send a clear, unequivocal message to decision-makers about how business confidence has been impacted by the Brexit process to date.

“Since the referendum outcome in 2016, NFU Scotland has ramped up its lobbying like never before. Our engagement in Westminster and Holyrood is unprecedented as we push for the overarching priorities of free and frictionless trade; access to a non-UK workforce; and a new agricultural policy post-Brexit.

“These survey results will be hugely influential and extremely useful to NFU Scotland as we continue to lobby at the highest levels on the behalf of farmers and crofters. We encourage all members to participate in this anonymous survey and thank members in advance for their cooperation”.   

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Contact Bob Carruth on 0131 472 4006