NFU plea on renewables planning

NFU Scotland yesterday welcomed the announcement by rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead on the setting up of an agri-renewables strategy - but the union repeated its earlier concerns relating to grid connections and bottlenecks in the planning system as major hurdles to achieving Scotland's renewable energy target.

Speaking at the Black Isle show, Lochhead said the strategy would "ensure that land managers could benefit from the renewables revolution and unlock the green energy potential of their land".

"Farmers and land managers have access to our nation's abundance of natural resources, so it is no wonder they are already queuing up to grasp the opportunities presented by renewables," he said. He hoped every farm in Scotland would benefit from renewable energy within a few years.

NFU Scotland president Nigel Miller said the union fully supported the government's renewables target, "but we need a clear steer in setting out nationwide planning guidance and priorities for those applying for and approving renewable projects".