WITH THE UK's parliament controversially suspended, NFU Scotland headed to Westminster to meet with politicians and press its case in defence of Scottish farming before, during and after Brexit.

The union's team met with Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland, Colin Clark MP; Argyll and Bute MP Brendan O’Hara; and recently reinstated Minister at Defra, George Eustice MP along with Scottish MP Luke Graham.

Depending on court rulings, it could be a further five weeks before Parliament sits again, and the union was keen to maintain the political momentum from last week’s meeting with the Prime Minister in Aberdeenshire. Discussions focussed on the impact of trade deals and proposed tariff schedules on Scottish food and farming in a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario – and with the proposed UK Agriculture Bill falling as a result of prorogation, NFUS was also keen to establish what that meant for the issue of repatriation of red meat levies.

Director of policy Jonnie Hall and political affairs manager Clare Slipper accompanied president Andrew McCornick, who said: “MPs may have been sent back to their constituencies for five weeks but the business of government is still very much in play as we head towards the supposed date of EU exit on October 31.

“With no deal still a very real prospect, NFUS has discussed contingency planning with MPs today and has hammered home the damage that the UK Government’s current proposed tariff schedule would have if it were to be implemented in the event of a no deal.

“Fair repatriation of red meat levy is also a long-running issue that remains to be resolved," said Mr McCornick. "The Agriculture Bill was seen as the route to addressing this, but in light of the Agriculture Bill falling, we used our meetings in Westminster today to clarify what provisions are in place to ensure this is resolved. We want to establish if tagging the levy amendment on to other primary legislation may prove a more successful option that waiting for the Agriculture Bill to be reintroduced.”