NFU Scotland National Conference and AGM 2024
The role of the market and supply chains in supporting a profitable and sustainable agriculture sector.
The Union’s National AGM, Conference and Council meeting will take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow, G2 8DL on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 February 2024, sponsored by Scotbeef and M&S Food. As the Union looks to secure a profitable and sustainable future for its members, the conference will focus on the role of the regulation, market and supply chains in delivering that.
The role of the market and supply chains in supporting a profitable and sustainable agriculture sector.
The Union’s National AGM, Conference and Council meeting will take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow, G2 8DL on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 February 2024, sponsored by Scotbeef and M&S Food. As the Union looks to secure a profitable and sustainable future for its members, the conference will focus on the role of the regulation, market and supply chains in delivering that.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
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00:16 And I wondered is that less waste? People are wasting less? Or are they actually consuming less?
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00:42 Hi, I'm the Rural Affairs Correspondent at the Scotsman.
00:46 Today I'm at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. I'm here for the National Farmers Union Scotland AGM.
00:56 Today we're hearing from various speakers including the NFUS President Martin Kennedy.
01:03 He gave an opening speech this morning.
01:06 We're also hearing from various retail chief executives to discuss the food supply chain,
01:13 which is one issue that farmers across the UK really have been having issues with in terms of pricing.
01:19 Today there are various talks at the conference.
01:22 We've got some talks coming up from chief executives of retail companies.
01:27 We also have a speech from John Lamont, the MP.
01:31 This morning was interesting. We heard results from a nationwide survey that the NFUS launched last month.
01:39 The survey looks at the stock in supermarkets in Scotland.
01:45 So we've got Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Aldi, Lidl.
01:49 And the survey does a sort of stock check on what the produce on the shelves, where it comes from, how much it is.
01:57 There are quite encouraging results.
02:00 The survey is going to be in four stages over the year.
02:03 But the first stage has shown that there is quite a lot of support for British farmers.
02:09 Within that there is substantial support for Scottish farmers.
02:13 At Aldi, over half of its produce is from Scotland, which is really encouraging to see.
02:19 Whereas some supermarkets don't come out so well.
02:21 Sainsbury's has less than 10% of Scottish produce, as does Tesco and Asda.
02:27 So the results are really revealing to the customer where their food comes from, which I think is really important to hear and for the country to see as well.
02:36 So that they know where to shop and where they can buy produce that will best support farmers in Scotland.
02:42 We also have some political visits.
02:45 On Friday we have a visit from the First Minister, Humza Yousaf.
02:50 He's coming to deliver a keynote speech to the NFUS members and the conference in general on Friday morning.
02:58 And there will also be a question and answer session from Mairi Gougeon, the Rural Affairs Secretary.
03:04 Which I know farmers will be interested to be engaging in because they have a lot of questions to put to the Scottish Government.
03:13 One being when the ring-fenced money for the agriculture budget will be returned.
03:19 And another one being more clarity on funding that's going to make up the subsidy scheme, which has changed since Brexit.
03:28 So a lot of burning questions from members of the union today and tomorrow.
03:33 And some really interesting talks that will be happening over the next couple of days.
03:38 From a Scottish rural perspective, the View House Agreement has been a disaster.
03:43 Almost without exception, every policy recommendation from the Greens, such as the DRS, the HBMA, Housing Initiative to name a few,
03:52 have not only failed but have cost the country countless millions to even talk about.
03:56 Let alone the heartache and mental strain they have put people under.
04:00 Thank you.
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