“Are you a glass half-full or a glass half-empty kind of person?” asks the deputy director of policy Andrew Bauer. One week in late October demonstrates just what the union can achieve on behalf of its members.

Having been approached by many members in the NVZs who were concerned about not making it through the closed season as, in the face of waterlogged ground and delayed harvests, they hadn’t been able to get their slurry tanks emptied. NFU Scotland lobbied Scottish Government to get a derogation for those who could demonstrate their case. This lobbying effort included local, regional and head office staff, and was led by NFUS president, Andrew McCornick. Scottish Government accepted the case, the derogation was secured, and members in difficulty could get some relief.

Just a few days later, members with water abstraction licences met SEPA to voice their opposition to proposed hikes in the cost of these licences. This meeting was initiated by NFU Scotland, and included a working group chairman and head office staff. After a robust discussion, SEPA accepted that certain aspects of the proposed charges were unsatisfactory and needed re-working. Whilst it’s not yet clear what precise changes will be made, it is clear that many members who were facing eye-watering increases in charges are now less likely to do so.

At the same time local staff were assisting members to secure forage in areas particularly hard hit by the weather. Elsewhere the Scottish Government announced it was going to deliver on NFU Scotland’s call for a one-off extension to the application period for the Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme in recognition of the exceptionally poor weather.

From local, regional and head office staff to elected members and office bearers, NFU Scotland works tirelessly for its members and gets results.

Although we don’t win every battle, and not everyone benefits from everything we do, it is clear that Scottish agriculture benefits from having a strong and credible union.

NFUS roadshows

NFU Scotland’s Brexit roadshows come to a close next week with five meetings in four days – 21 November – Western Hotel, Ayr; 22 November –Threave Visitor Centre, Castle Douglas; 23 November – Carfraemill, Lauder; 24 November –Tarbert Bowling Club and Cuan Mor, Oban.

Glyphosate

In the lead-up to the appeals committee vote on glyphosate renewal, NFU Scotland is encouraging any member who feels strongly on the issue to tweet or email Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, or Commissioners Vytenis Andriukaitis and Phil Hogan, and include the #Glyphosateisvital tag.

Dogs and sheep

Sheep worrying is still a serious problem in rural communities and NFU Scotland’s legal and technical team are available to speak, as are regional managers, if anyone is having a problem with dogs worrying their flock. Last week alone NFUS helped a farmer who was having trouble with sheep-worrying and now the owners are being brought up on charges.

Biomass

Following on from VG Energy’s liquidation, HWEnergy, a professional member with NFU Scotland, have confirmed that there remains a strong biomass presence for both new biomass installations and ongoing servicing and support for existing boilers. With 45 staff and engineers covering all of Scotland and an ability to service a full range of boilers HWEnergy have offered a 10% discount to NFUS members for biomass service contracts.