"It wisnae me!"


Question of the Week

Question of the Week

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Columnists

Columnists

  • Cows out – just in time

    Well, writing this at the beginning of the week, I'm glad to report that some of the coos are finally out in the field – a mere eight months after they first came in.

  • Now what?

    IT'S NOW the middle of May, not that you could tell by the weather.

  • These prices are unsustainable!

    If YOU want to see parts of Scotland you have not been to before, get the job of judging the finals of the Scottish Grassland Society's silage competition.

  • Delight in seeing the mighty fall!

    OVER THE centuries, we have witnessed the rise and fall of empire after empire – the Roman Empire; the Mongol Empire with Genghis Khan at its head; the Ottoman Empire; and, more recently, the British Empire, which faded with the passing of the 19th century.

  • Self help is the Australian way

    After our recent weather it's certainly starting to seem like a bit of a distant memory now, but – in a definite break from the norm – I spent the first few weeks of this year in climes very different from our own.

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Letters

Letters

  • Who sets the agenda of Scottish ag-policy?

    Sir, – The cabinet secretary is fighting for new entrants (letters 18/5/13) and in his letter lists the achievements as progress on future CAP.

  • Lochhead – I am fighting for new entrants

    Sir, – I am writing in response to your front page article in the May 4 issue, entitled "End This Farce", which was critical of the way Scottish Government is supporting new entrants to farming and would like to respond to some of the issues raised in the article.

  • Another tale of broken promises

    Sir – Thank you for eventually printing a piece that highlights a tale of woe in the renewables sector.

  • Guidelines are being ignored

    Sir, – The statement made by STFA last week, that there are still landlords leaving rent reviews to the last minute and furthermore seeking substantial rent rises is, contrary to SLE's suggestion, based on the hard facts of actual examples across the country.

  • Why should Defra change?

    SIR, – Is John Cameron (letters, April 27) serious in his suggestion that we should be thinking of voting for independence on the narrow issue of whether 7% or 12% of agricultural subsidies should be tied to the numbers of livestock kept?

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Euro Notebook

Euro Notebook

  • Ciolos fighting for new entrants

    THE FRONT page headline in The Scottish Farmer last week said a lot about a major problem facing agriculture – it read "Hope for new farmers" – but inevitably with a question mark at the end.

  • Could we survive outside the CAP?

    FORMER Chancellor, Nigel Lawson, certainly put the political cat among the pigeons when he said that if there were an EU referendum he would vote for the UK to leave.

  • Hi Ho Silver Lining

    BEFORE IT became the lyrics of a song by Kelly Clarkson, the concept that 'what does not kill you makes you stronger' was espoused by the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche.

  • Deal or no deal?

    THERE IS a growing sense that CAP reform will be agreed by the end of the Irish presidency in June.

  • Crunch time nears for Irish presidency

    THE FACT that Irish farmers took to the streets of Dublin this week to protest over CAP reform adds to a sense that the Irish minister and EU farm council president, Simon Coveney, could well deliver a deal by June.

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Farmer Right-hand Column