Jim Walker

The latest figures showing a massive 13,269 fewer suckler calf claims in 2023 is testament to the abject policy failure of Ms Gougeon and her Green pals.

The promise of 70% of future agriculture support payments post-2027 being targeted on Tier 1 and Tier 2 payments had already been announced in a written Parliamentary answer by Mairi Gougeon.

'The $64,000 question is how many farms, particularly smaller dairy and many beef farms, particularly in the west and north, where slurry not straw systems prevail, will be able to find the necessary investment to carry on rearing cattle beyond 2026, even if they want to?'

'If Kennedy isn’t prepared to follow either of these options, then every current NFUS member should vote with their feet and resign their membership immediately'

'It seems that NFUS are pinning their hopes on securing enough funding to stagger on through as we are until 2026. After that we will be totally in the lap of the Gods.'

Scottish farmers, once the staunch supporters of the SNP, are increasingly realising that the current government's environmental promises are more style than substance.

July Weather Update: From Fabulous to Damp Squib for Some

An industry crying out for a blueprint for the future

Finally, the ground is drying up and, as importantly, warming up, and we now have some decent grass growth.

I’ve just returned from a fabulous trip to Australia, where it reached 42C before I flew back to -6°C in Scotland – the contrast between the two couldn’t be more marked in terms of climate.