Scottish voters have placed farming fifth in their list of priorities for upcoming elections.
An independent polling company asked 1,001 people in Scotland for their opinions on a list of 25 policy issues. Participants were asked to score policies from one to 10 - with one meaning they should not be pursued and 10 giving them ‘top billing’ status. In first place was health and schools, followed by police, council tax, local hospitals, then farming and fishing came in fifth place.
On the back of the poll, NFUS has re-emphasised the priorities within its own election ‘manifesto’ which stresses the role farming can play in providing quality, local food, protecting Scotland’s wildlife and habitats, tackling climate change and underpinning rural communities. Over three quarters of Scotland’s landmass is farmed and agriculture contributes £1.8 billion to the nation’s economy.
“Our pre-election manifesto highlighted many of the issues facing agriculture,” warned NFU Scotland vice-president, Stewart Wood, “There are simple steps that can be taken which will safeguard the future of agriculture and the rural economy, but will also deliver huge health and environmental benefits to the nation.
“Our future MSPs must look again at the food we feed to our pupils and patients. Public procurement must stress that best value doesn’t mean cheapest price and put an emphasis on fresh, local food. Agriculture’s potential to contribute to the fight against climate change by the development of renewable energy needs the same financial kick-start that has benefited the industry across Europe.
“We await the election on May 3 with interest and look forward to seeing how the next Scottish Executive and Parliament tackles the challenges we have set them.”
