Union working to get fuel, feed and livestock moving
Heavy snow continues to disrupt Scottish farming with reports that more than 50 farm buildings around the country have now come down under the weight of snow.
As farmers work hard to provide feed, water and shelter to their stock, the Union urges them to make sure that safety for themselves, family and staff must remain a priority.
To help keep farms running, discussions between NFU Scotland and Scottish Government have already helped secure a temporary relaxation of drivers’ hours and working-time rules for hauliers involved directly in the distribution of animal feed and fuel oil. The Union would like to see a general relaxation introduced that would also assist those involved in livestock haulage – a vital concession as we run into the important Christmas period.
While fuel supplies are, by-in-large available, distribution of red diesel and heating oil to farms is a growing concern and NFUS is urging members to contact fuel suppliers to investigate if central distribution points at which fuel can be collected are feasible. Such fuel collection stations are already operating in parts of the Borders.
NFU Scotland’s Chief Executive James Withers said:
“With little respite from the weather likely until the end of the week, our focus is on helping farming families deal with the weather by getting vital feed and fuel through to them. At the same time, we are working hard with Scottish Government on how we can keep Scotland’s food and farming industries running.
“The news that many buildings are collapsing under the volume of snow is a huge concern and while we urge farmers to be vigilant, safety must be the priority. Clearing snow from roofs must only be considered if it can be done in a safe and responsible manner. If not, then farmers must not place themselves or their staff in danger.
“With a significant number of sheds now damaged, many will be seeking temporary accommodation for stock. Local machinery rings have been helpful in putting farmers needing space for cattle in touch with those with empty livestock sheds available. For those needing to erect temporary shelter, we are encouraging planning inspectors at local authorities to be pragmatic when it comes to putting up emergency sheds.
“Getting animal feed and fuel delivered has been given a boost by the extension to drivers’ hours agreed at the end of last week. To get our livestock moving to markets and abattoirs in the run up to the crucial Christmas period, we need livestock haulage to be included in the derogation and are speaking to the Scottish Government about this.
“On many farms, fuel for heating and machinery is running out. We would urge anyone in this position to contact your fuel supplier and enquire if collection from a local distribution point is possible. Such a scheme is already operating in parts of the Borders and could provide vital relief.
“For those toiling in the conditions, I urge them to remember that they are not alone. Neighbours, friends and family are often more than willing to help and the Union itself has a network of members, secretaries and staff happy to assist where possible.”
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
BBC ALBA – WEEKLY PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS Saturday 18 December – Friday 24 December 2010
Title: Cocaire nan Cocairean
Two new cooks join Cathy MacDonald in the kitchen to see if they can impress Cathy and her guest with their culinary creations.
Transmitted: Monday 20th December 2010
Time: 20:30
Title: Murtairean - Gun Ainm
The story of notorious 1960s killer Bible John, who after more than 40 years remains unidentified.
Transmitted: Thursday 23rd December 2010
Time: 21:00
Title: Trusadh - Orain Ura - An Gairm
In this the 'Year of Song', we take a look at where Gaelic song is in 2010, and explore what lies ahead for one of the richest pillars of the Gaelic language, and Scottish culture?
From the prolific household bards of the clan chiefs, through countless Mods - and to the stadium-rock stage, Gaelic song has had some exciting evolutions in its 300 plus years in known history. Recent times though have seen little original material being written.
Is that all about to change though? What part could the recent rise of the Scottish traditional music scene play? Have initiatives like the Nòs Ùr and Rapal song competitions contributed to a new generation of bands and singers writing in new, innovative, contemporary styles in Gaelic? Is this indeed the dawn of a new era in Gaelic song?
Transmitted: Friday 24th December 2010
Time: 21:00
Title: Spors na Bliadhna/Sports Review 2010
Review of what's been happening in the world of sport in the past year, including a look back at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Transmitted: Friday 24th December 2010
Time: 10:00pm
Title: Seirbheis Nollaig/Christmas Service
Join us this Christmas Eve for a very special ecumenical service from Portree Parish Church, Isle of Skye. Rev John M. MacDonald (Church of Scotland) will lead the service, with readings and prayers from Rev Christoper MacRae (Free Church) and Father James MacNeil (Catholic Church).
Transmitted: Friday 24th December 2010
Time: 11:00pm
Two new cooks join Cathy MacDonald in the kitchen to see if they can impress Cathy and her guest with their culinary creations.
Transmitted: Monday 20th December 2010
Time: 20:30
Title: Murtairean - Gun Ainm
The story of notorious 1960s killer Bible John, who after more than 40 years remains unidentified.
Transmitted: Thursday 23rd December 2010
Time: 21:00
Title: Trusadh - Orain Ura - An Gairm
In this the 'Year of Song', we take a look at where Gaelic song is in 2010, and explore what lies ahead for one of the richest pillars of the Gaelic language, and Scottish culture?
From the prolific household bards of the clan chiefs, through countless Mods - and to the stadium-rock stage, Gaelic song has had some exciting evolutions in its 300 plus years in known history. Recent times though have seen little original material being written.
Is that all about to change though? What part could the recent rise of the Scottish traditional music scene play? Have initiatives like the Nòs Ùr and Rapal song competitions contributed to a new generation of bands and singers writing in new, innovative, contemporary styles in Gaelic? Is this indeed the dawn of a new era in Gaelic song?
Transmitted: Friday 24th December 2010
Time: 21:00
Title: Spors na Bliadhna/Sports Review 2010
Review of what's been happening in the world of sport in the past year, including a look back at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Transmitted: Friday 24th December 2010
Time: 10:00pm
Title: Seirbheis Nollaig/Christmas Service
Join us this Christmas Eve for a very special ecumenical service from Portree Parish Church, Isle of Skye. Rev John M. MacDonald (Church of Scotland) will lead the service, with readings and prayers from Rev Christoper MacRae (Free Church) and Father James MacNeil (Catholic Church).
Transmitted: Friday 24th December 2010
Time: 11:00pm
Jamie McGrigor’s speech in last Thursday’s Stage 1 Parliamentary debate on the Wildlife & Natural Environment Bill.
Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): I am delighted to sum up in this debate. It is vital that we get the bill right for those men and women who work in the hills and glens and keep them well managed, even when, as now, they are hindered by several feet of snowdrifts while we sit cosily in the chamber. They are straightforward, tough people—the very salt of Scotland's earth—and they deserve a fair deal.
The minister said that she had listened to many people from different walks of life. Well done to her for that, and well done also for recognising the importance of this sector of rural life. She has listened to people who do not often get heard and who do not get heard often enough.
I thank my friend John Scott and other members of the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, as well as the committee clerking team, for a thorough stage 1 report, which has informed today's debate. Much of the debate has focused on wildlife crime and, as John Scott set out, we believe—like Bill Wilson—that the argument has not been made convincingly that single witness evidence should apply on this issue. Rather, as Sheriff Drummond suggested when he gave evidence, the focus should be on the collection of solid evidence. Given that the evidence to the committee suggested that it was incredibly rare for someone to be prosecuted for an offence of egg stealing on the evidence of a single witness, it surely is illogical to extend single witness evidence to other wildlife crime. Such a move might even open up the door to frame-ups. Surely law is good only if it works to stop crime.
Likewise, the Scottish Conservatives have serious worries about the Government's intention to introduce vicarious liability at stage 2, because we again pay heed to the words of Sheriff Drummond, an expert on wildlife crime, who said:
"There are so many ways round it. Vicarious liability has been floated as some kind of answer. It is not an answer".—[Official Report, Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, 15 September 2010; c 3104.]
Much legislation already exists, and we should surely concentrate on achieving better enforcement of current laws before adding additional measures to the statute book. In other words, we should tighten up existing laws and ensure that they work against wildlife crime.
Snaring is another subject that many members have raised. I am well aware of the strong feelings about snaring—indeed, I, too, have strong feelings about it—and I welcome the committee's balanced conclusions on it. Its report states:
"the Committee also acknowledges that pest control is a vital part of land management and that, if properly regulated and managed, limited and appropriate use of snares should continue to be an option for land managers in Scotland."
As Bert Burnett of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association said this week, the majority of practitioners are already highly skilled, and they have welcomed the tightening of snaring regulations and demonstrated a clear willingness to meet modern expectations by signing up for detailed practical and written training in order to meet the highest welfare standards.To many of my constituents in the Highlands and Islands, snares remain a vital tool in controlling escalating fox numbers, which can do much damage to our populations of rare waders and ground-nesting birds as well as to valuable game birds, not to mention the lambs on numerous sheep farms throughout the Highlands. At this point, I suppose that I had better refer members to my agricultural interests in the register of members' interests.
On game management, we are happy to welcome the modernisation of game law and the abolition of game licences. The bill will also repeal the restriction on selling game at certain times of the year by amending section 4 of the Game Act 1831, which was aimed at stopping the killing of game birds and hares during closed seasons. Refrigeration now means that game that has been killed in the open season can be kept and sold throughout the year. I hope that the bill will open up more marketing opportunities for those who wish to sell Scottish game in restaurants and shops all year round.
The SRPBA is right to argue that any future changes to the list of game species must be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny. I strongly support the committee's call for any proposed removals from the game species list to be subject to affirmative rather than negative procedure, which would mean that any proposals would be voted on.
More generally, I welcome the Government's and the committee's recognition that shooting and red deer stalking are of real economic importance to many areas of Scotland. That is especially so in the Highlands, where the income from country sports provides work for gamekeepers and numerous other jobs associated with them.
I want to put on record my support for the wildlife estates Scotland initiative, which I was pleased to see the minister launch at Colquhalzie in Perthshire on 23 November. Everyone involved in that initiative is to be commended. I know that those people will step up to the mark in showing to the public that our Scottish country estates are integral to protecting and preserving our natural environment. The pilot scheme will run in the Cairngorms national park area, and will doubtless be reviewed regularly. The scheme is not, as some have suggested, some sort of voluntary licensing scheme; it is a voluntary accreditation scheme in which the code of acceptable good practice that everybody should follow will be set out.
Finally, Bill Wilson referred to bees. He may know that the bees in many hives in Scotland stopped breeding in September because they knew that bad weather was coming. That shows that a bee is better than the BBC at weather forecasting.
The Scottish Conservatives are happy to support the general principles of the bill, and we welcome the fact that many of the concerns that existed, particularly relating to deer management, have been dealt with.
The minister said that she had listened to many people from different walks of life. Well done to her for that, and well done also for recognising the importance of this sector of rural life. She has listened to people who do not often get heard and who do not get heard often enough.
I thank my friend John Scott and other members of the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, as well as the committee clerking team, for a thorough stage 1 report, which has informed today's debate. Much of the debate has focused on wildlife crime and, as John Scott set out, we believe—like Bill Wilson—that the argument has not been made convincingly that single witness evidence should apply on this issue. Rather, as Sheriff Drummond suggested when he gave evidence, the focus should be on the collection of solid evidence. Given that the evidence to the committee suggested that it was incredibly rare for someone to be prosecuted for an offence of egg stealing on the evidence of a single witness, it surely is illogical to extend single witness evidence to other wildlife crime. Such a move might even open up the door to frame-ups. Surely law is good only if it works to stop crime.
Likewise, the Scottish Conservatives have serious worries about the Government's intention to introduce vicarious liability at stage 2, because we again pay heed to the words of Sheriff Drummond, an expert on wildlife crime, who said:
"There are so many ways round it. Vicarious liability has been floated as some kind of answer. It is not an answer".—[Official Report, Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, 15 September 2010; c 3104.]
Much legislation already exists, and we should surely concentrate on achieving better enforcement of current laws before adding additional measures to the statute book. In other words, we should tighten up existing laws and ensure that they work against wildlife crime.
Snaring is another subject that many members have raised. I am well aware of the strong feelings about snaring—indeed, I, too, have strong feelings about it—and I welcome the committee's balanced conclusions on it. Its report states:
"the Committee also acknowledges that pest control is a vital part of land management and that, if properly regulated and managed, limited and appropriate use of snares should continue to be an option for land managers in Scotland."
As Bert Burnett of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association said this week, the majority of practitioners are already highly skilled, and they have welcomed the tightening of snaring regulations and demonstrated a clear willingness to meet modern expectations by signing up for detailed practical and written training in order to meet the highest welfare standards.To many of my constituents in the Highlands and Islands, snares remain a vital tool in controlling escalating fox numbers, which can do much damage to our populations of rare waders and ground-nesting birds as well as to valuable game birds, not to mention the lambs on numerous sheep farms throughout the Highlands. At this point, I suppose that I had better refer members to my agricultural interests in the register of members' interests.
On game management, we are happy to welcome the modernisation of game law and the abolition of game licences. The bill will also repeal the restriction on selling game at certain times of the year by amending section 4 of the Game Act 1831, which was aimed at stopping the killing of game birds and hares during closed seasons. Refrigeration now means that game that has been killed in the open season can be kept and sold throughout the year. I hope that the bill will open up more marketing opportunities for those who wish to sell Scottish game in restaurants and shops all year round.
The SRPBA is right to argue that any future changes to the list of game species must be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny. I strongly support the committee's call for any proposed removals from the game species list to be subject to affirmative rather than negative procedure, which would mean that any proposals would be voted on.
More generally, I welcome the Government's and the committee's recognition that shooting and red deer stalking are of real economic importance to many areas of Scotland. That is especially so in the Highlands, where the income from country sports provides work for gamekeepers and numerous other jobs associated with them.
I want to put on record my support for the wildlife estates Scotland initiative, which I was pleased to see the minister launch at Colquhalzie in Perthshire on 23 November. Everyone involved in that initiative is to be commended. I know that those people will step up to the mark in showing to the public that our Scottish country estates are integral to protecting and preserving our natural environment. The pilot scheme will run in the Cairngorms national park area, and will doubtless be reviewed regularly. The scheme is not, as some have suggested, some sort of voluntary licensing scheme; it is a voluntary accreditation scheme in which the code of acceptable good practice that everybody should follow will be set out.
Finally, Bill Wilson referred to bees. He may know that the bees in many hives in Scotland stopped breeding in September because they knew that bad weather was coming. That shows that a bee is better than the BBC at weather forecasting.
The Scottish Conservatives are happy to support the general principles of the bill, and we welcome the fact that many of the concerns that existed, particularly relating to deer management, have been dealt with.
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