Jamie Wyllie follows in his father's footsteps

Mr Wylie, who farms at Ruchlaw Mains, Stenton, East Lothian, is following in his father’s footsteps – James Wyllie chaired the union’s pigs committee in the early nineties, and went on to be vice president of NFUSd from 1994 to 1996.

The family business, Ruchlaw Produce, stretches to 555 hectares across four farms – Ruchlaw Mains in East Lothian, another farm in the Borders and two in Lanarkshire – employing 40 members of staff. The main enterprises are pigs, arable, sheep and renewables.

The pig business consists of 2700 sows across three of the farms, producing breeding stock for a major international pig breeding company. Gilts are supplied to customers across Scotland and England and are also exported into Europe. The remaining animals are sold as weaners or finished to bacon weight. In total, they produce around 70,000 pigs per year. Jamie is also a director of the marketing co-operative Scotlean Pigs.

He succeeds Kevin Gilbert, of Womblehill, Kintore, who steps down from the chairmanship of the pigs committee after four years in the hot seat. Jamie will also become a member of the NFUS board of directors, while Kevin will remain on the pigs committee to represent the North East.

Commenting on his appointment, Jamie said: “It is an honour to take on the chairmanship of this committee at a challenging time for all aspects of Scottish farming.

“The priority for the year ahead is to help the Scottish pig sector grow and remain profitable. We need to influence policy makers to ensure they understand the important issues facing the pig industry and to be aware of the economic impact of the decisions they make.”

He added: “I would like to thank Kevin for all his hard work over the past four years, ensuring that innovation and collaboration have kept Scottish pig production on the front foot. The good news is that Kevin is remaining on committee. His experience will be invaluable, and I look forward to continuing to work with him."