Rural Payments and Services

Rural Secretary Fergus Ewing has welcomed a report published today by Scotland’s Rural College on the unfavourable harvest conditions and their effect on straw and forage availability and pricing.

Commenting on the Scottish Government-commissioned report, Mr Ewing said:

“It will be no surprise to farmers and crofters that unfavourable harvest conditions in 2017 had a major impact on the availability of straw and forage – resulting in an increase in prices across parts of Scotland.

"At the same time, the weather also led to an increased demand for straw and hay, with cattle having to be housed earlier in the year than usual, due to the unusually wet conditions.

“The shortfall of these resources prompted the Scottish Government to refer the problem to our expert panel on wet weather, which was specifically set up in order to help farmers and crofters respond to, and mitigate against, the effects of extreme weather to their business.

“The panel agreed that the Scottish Government should commission the SRUC to conduct a thorough analysis into the problem regarding straw shortfall. The resulting report provides invaluable detail on what went wrong, as well as advice on how best the agricultural sector can respond.

“The Scottish Government set up the expert panel to act as a taskforce for rapidly sharing information, best practice, and encouraging co-operation across the industry, to help farmers and crofters respond effectively to challenging weather conditions.

"The panel meets again today and will consider the report as well discussing the forward weather outlook and its potential implications.”