THERE might be no elections to savour at next week's NFU Scotland annual meeting in St Andrews, but the agenda is packed to the brim nevertheless.

And while the political shenanigans of claim and counter claim will, undoubtedly, create the headlines, the more practical debates on the timetable may, in the long run, provide more valuable information for a working farmer.

In or out of the EU, the export of Scottish farm produce is critically important and the debate on this matter on Thursday afternoon should articulate any opportunities available.

Aligned contracts will be debated first thing on Friday morning. Opinion here is, of course, polarised with most of those on such contracts in support, while almost everyone else is of the opinion that they are only good for creating a two tier market. A lively debate looks to be on the cards.

And, just before the CabSec Richard Lochhead appears in the dock, farm theft is due to be debated where it looks like, at long last, there will be some joined up thinking used to combat this scourge which is leaving nary a farm untouched.

The Scottish Farmer has a suggestion of its own to throw in to the mix. Police Scotland is meant to be a single force these days, but rural crime publicity is still handled in a local and piecemeal fashion.

Surely it would be much better if all incidences of rural theft were immediately centrally logged and disseminated through social and traditional media.

Media outlets like ourselves could be crucial in speedily highlighting when crimes have taken place through print, on-line and social media. So far, our pleas in this regard seem to have fallen on deaf ears!

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