Mr Moore was visiting a Perthshire hill farm to hear about the challenges facing the Scottish sheep industry, particularly weather and poor market prices – but the QMS contingent pushed the levy issue to the top of the agenda.
During a 'round the kitchen table' discussion at Martin and Jane Kennedy's Lurgan Farm, near Aberfeldy, QMS chief executive 'Uel Morton seized his chance: "The fact is the Scottish industry continues to miss out on around £1.5 million of pig and sheepmeat levy per year from animals born and reared in Scotland but slaughtered south of the border," said Mr Morton.
"Rebalancing this inequity requires agreement between ministers in Westminster and the devolved governments and that they have a clear understanding of the impact on our industry of this continued inequitable distribution of levy funds.
(For the full story see The Scottish Farmer this week, February 23, 2013)
