IN THE wake of the World Trade Organisation's controversial decision to allow the United States to impose heavy tariffs on EU goods, Scottish MEP Alyn Smith has written to the EU's Trade Commissioner-Designate, Phil Hogan, urging him to settle the dispute before it becomes a trade war.

The WTO judged that the EU had erred in supporting Airbus, the European aircraft manufacturer, to the detriment of the US-based Boeing Company. The Trump administration has since announced that levies of 25% on EU agricultural and industrial imports – including Scotch Whisky – will be put in place by October 18.

“Already there is talk of EU countermeasures that could exceed the US sanctions," said Mr Smithy. "A trade war is the last thing we need right now, and if anyone can get both sides around the negotiating table and walk them back, it’s Phil Hogan. Hogan has been a good friend to farmers and to Scotland, and I’ve written to him as a matter of urgency to urge him to use the geopolitical heft of the EU to walk both sides back from a trade war.

“Agriculture is the lynchpin of Scotland’s rural economy, and without EU support, one in three of Scottish holdings goes under," warned Mr Smith. “Nobody voted for that. Farmers need to know there are folk taking their side and making sure that they aren’t treated as collateral in geopolitical tiffs. I’ve spent years on the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament, speaking up for farmers, and I’ll not let the latest internecine, inter-Tory disputes in Westminster distract me from that.

“Agriculture is crucial to Scotland – to our economy, to our communities, and to our global reputation. We need to protect it, and I’ll be following this issue with great interest.”