The start to April has been one of the worst many farmers in Scotland have seen for decades with snow, low temperatures and floods of rain only adding to the high expenses which have come with a poor autumn harvest and long winter period.

Livestock farmers have struggled with the torrid conditions as many have begun lambing and calving in difficult, wintery conditions, whilst many have had to deal with a steep increase in expenditure for straw and fodder.

Those in the arable sector have also felt the effects of the weather as the land that could not be planted last autumn is adding to the amount that is needing to be planted in the spring, which is being delayed by the extension of the winter weather.

NFU Scotland vice president Gary Mitchell said: “It has been a long and expensive winter for Scotland’s farmers and is only being made more difficult with these continued spates of poor weather.

“There have been several reported incidents of fallen stock due to the unseasonably bad weather at the start and end of last month, but most are accepting that this is an unavoidable part of keeping livestock.

“Arable farmers are seeing the struggles of last autumn amplified by this poor start to spring. Land that couldn’t be planted last autumn is adding to the amount of land that needs to be sown now but very little, if any, has been done. Crop husbandry operations are also being delayed, so the winter crops which managed to be planted last year are suffering now.

“Farmers across the country are reporting back very poor grass growth which is only adding to the cost for those who would usually be able to rely heavily on grazing for keeping livestock.

“Another worrying aspect of the poor weather has been significant lack of fodder and the added expense it is creating for farmers up and down the country. With so many crops having to be left in the fields at the end of harvest last year, we are seeing a lot of members suffer because of the unexpected hike in outgoings just to feed stock.”

Crofting bill

Following on from Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing’s presentation to the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Crofting on Wednesday 28 March, NFU Scotland have written to the Scottish Government outlining their enthusiasm to be part of further consultations on the new Crofting bill.

Hedge cutting ban recap

Farmers and crofters receiving CAP support scheme payments subject to Cross Compliance requirements are reminded of the hedge cutting ban that came into force on 1 March. Hedges should not be trimmed and branches should not be lopped off during the bird nesting and rearing season from 1 March to 31 August, except for road safety reasons.

Tissue sampling

The Scottish Government has announced that the selection for genotype sampling for Autumn 2017 calves has been made. The selection also includes any bulls which should be sampled. The full list of animals which need to be sampled as part of the scheme should be found on the BES page of ScotEID. The Scottish Government is advising that tissue sampling tags should be out by the end of the month.

Beef Efficiency Scheme

Participants of the Beef Efficiency Scheme are reminded that the recording of animal weights is a necessary portion of the scheme. Some may find it more convenient to make sure they take relevant weights before animals go back out to grass after being in winter housing. However, batch weights from the mart can also be acceptable.