The operators of farm assurance schemes such as Red Tractor and Quality Meat Scotland were branded “industry parasites” during a debate on post-Brexit farming.
North-east farmer, Jim Stewart, told a packed marquee at the Turriff show it was time for farmers to get back to basics, stop chasing support and start cutting costs.
“When are we going to start getting rid of some of these parasites that are hanging on to our industry and costing us money?” he asked.
“It’s high time as an industry we turn round and say enough is enough. We’re out of Europe, we can kiss the single farm payment goodbye. Let the Europeans produce cheap food but let us produce the quality stuff in Scotland – no disrespect to England and Wales. We’ve got the name, the quality, let’s build on that and to hell with the rest of them.”
Mr Stewart told a panel which included NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick, NFU England deputy president Minette Batters and former fishing skipper Jimmy Buchan that supermarkets cared more about sourcing cheap food than assurance schemes.
He added: “The man from Asda might say he wants little Red Tractors, but he’s quite willing to go to New Zealand and take in lamb, or Brazil and take in beef, or go anywhere in world if the price is right. He doesn’t really give a monkey’s about red tractors.”
However Minette Batters insisted the market was demanding assurance and British farmers were lucky to have a home market of 65million people.