Agriculture

"I wonder what people who are struggling to feed their families think when they hear the Conservatives crying foul over policies which protect people (farmers) from paying tax on assets worth up to £3 million in certain areas"

"For generations, farming families have served to grow food for us all. They are a service to their country and they are custodians of the countryside"

First Minister John Swinney said his Government would return the £46 million taken away from the agriculture Budget in previous years but could not guarantee a commitment to longer-term funding due to only having 'information' for one financial year

"I know this is already having a chilling effect on farming and rural businesses"

"Family farms are at the heart of a thriving rural economy, and farming plays a crucial role in delivering on priorities like nature recovery, climate mitigation, and clean water"

Bill Young brings 'extensive experience' in agricultural quality assurance, having previously held leadership roles at NSF and SAI Global

In a letter to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Mairi Gougeon, NFUS president Martin Kennedy highlighted that NatureScot's established position in favour of a Galloway National Park calls into question its ability to conduct a public consultation in an ‘impartial manner'

The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) held a crisis meeting with Northern Ireland's leading food businesses and organisations to address the threat facing farming from government policies

Jeremy Moody, secretary and advisor to Central Association of Agricultural Valuers said the Government's claim that only quarter of farms will be impacted by Inheritance Tax changes ‘misses half of the picture and so understates the effects of the change'

The event is separate to the NFU's lobby being held on the same day, but organisers stressed the events were 'complimentary' and not in competition with one another