It’s business as usual again for Scotland’s agricultural industry after the excitement of last month’s Royal Highland Show, which for many farmers counts as their annual summer holiday.

This year was a fantastic show, with the weather on our side making it a great few days for catching up with friends but also for networking and doing business. It’s great to catch up with vendors and purchasers from our large customer base all in one place.

The show, without doubt, brings some welcome relief for an industry that for many working within it, face an uphill battle. The livestock farming industry is experiencing a real struggle at the moment and auctioneers like myself are working hard to remind our customers that the mart is here to help – and on that we are wholeheartedly on the side of the farmer.

Getting the point across to farmers that they need to sell through the ring is crucial. Selling direct to abattoirs might seem like the easy option but if it wasn’t for the ring, the abattoirs wouldn’t know what to base prices on.

This is the lowest cattle prices we have been for a number of years. Admittedly, the cost of keeping cattle is slightly less than this time last year, but finishers are making little or no margin on cattle being sold at present. Feed is slightly cheaper, but the price hasn’t dropped significantly enough for that to make enough difference to the bottom line – which is not good at the moment.

It can be frustrating as an auctioneer as we know the best way to get the fairest, most transparent price is to sell through the ring, yet despite farmers knowing this, some still choose to go elsewhere. The auction industry is a small one, but we are a committed bunch and loyal to our trade.

As someone working up through the ranks, I fully support the development of the IAAS junior council. This is a fantastic move for an industry that is reliant on the younger generation to secure the future for our auction businesses, and this will help us ensure we stay relevant to the next generation of our buyers and sellers.

Getting the message out there to use your mart is really important and the younger folk within the industry couldn’t be better advocates for doing this.