Scots sheep farmers get their message across

By Andrew Arbuckle
Published on 27/06/2012 02:16

Scottish sheep farming representatives returned home from Brussels yesterday happy that their report on the importance of sheep in the hills had been well received by the European Parliament agricultural committee.

National Sheep Association president John Cameron said: “We were able to emphasise the importance of sheep in the less favoured areas not only from the productivity aspect but also the contribution which they make to the environment; also and very importantly to the maintenance of the social fabric in these fragile areas.”

Scottish MEP Alyn Smith, a member of the agriculture committee, said: “Documents like this one inform the debate and raise the often-overlooked profile that sheep farming in less favoured areas has, as well as highlighting some of the difficulties that our sheep farmers face.

“Research into the less well-known aspects of sheep farming, especially in our most remote areas, is particularly valuable.