Farming

By Alec Ross

In the midst of conference season, and with funding only guaranteed until the end of the current Westminster parliament (and with a General Election likely next year), NFU Scotland has called for all political parties to increase agricultural funding and commit to ring-fenced, multi-annual delivery.

The union is urging all parties to commit to making a manifesto pledge of a £1 billion increase in the UK Government’s commitment to agricultural funding. The lobbying body believes this would give certainly to farmers, growers and crofters across Scotland.

To that end, union representatives attended this week’s Conservative Party conference in Manchester and will lobby at the Labour conference in Liverpool this Sunday, and the SNP conference in Aberdeen from Sunday October 15. It has also thanked Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for rural affairs, for calling for the funding increase.

NFU president Martin Kennedy said: “Farmers and crofters across the UK are being asked to do most of the heavy lifting to deliver the Government’s desired outcomes in terms of food production, climate, biodiversity, and wider rural development. The funding would equate to an additional sum of at least £170 million per year for Scotland and underpin the work of Scotland’s farmers and crofters in delivering on our ambitions to be a Good Food Nation”.

Round-up

Lambs at Newton Stewart yesterday averaged 246p/kg or £111/head and sold to £151 for a Dutch Spotted from Barquhill, and to 267p/kg for Carslae, Claycrop and Corhulloch.

Mule lambs sold to £115/head for Culdoach, who also topped the Blackies at £114, or to 242p/kg for Bankhead. In line with national trends, cast sheep proved harder to sell, although Claycrop topped the sale at £170 for a Suffolk tup while Charolais ewes from Carslae peaked at £130. Mules from Boghouse sold to £90 while hill ewes peaked at £88 for Cheviots from Drumwalt.

Light lambs at Dumfries yesterday averaged 245p/kg and sold to 268p/kg for Troloss. Meanwhile, 52.1kg+ lambs averaged 238p/kg and sold to 243p/kg for West Crossleys.

Cast sheep reflected the wider market trend by easing on the week, but tups still sold to £148 for Texels from High Cairn with ewes selling to £128 for ewes from Harley Rigg. 500 store lambs sold better, however, and peaked at £92 for Texels from Townpark.

Nearly 11,000 lambs were sold at Longtown on Tuesday, and despite a slight drop in quality demand was strong and recent rates were maintained.

The highlight of the sale was undoubtedly the 1,009 strong entry of Romney cross Texels from Castlemilk Estates, Lockerbie, that sold to £100 for a Texel cross, while the overall sale peaked at £160 for a Beltex from High House.