The farmers’ union has called on the government to implement a national fuel exchange scheme which would uplift “problematic” diesel currently in farm tanks and replace it with alternative supplies.
The measure is required because of ongoing tractor and farm machinery filter issues which have been linked to the biofuel content in fuel.
More than 400 farmers have already reported issues to NFU Scotland (NFUS) alone, and both unions are still being informed of new cases.
NFUS legal and technical committee chairman, Jamie Smart, said only mild weather was preventing the industry from grinding to a halt.
“The weather is saving us more than anything, because the instances and severity of the problem is much worse when the weather is cold,” he added.
“The warmer weather has taken the pressure off for the last few weeks and farmers are working their way through their fuel supplies, but they still have problem diesel in their tanks and they need to get it uplifted and replaced.”
At the end of last year fuel manufacturer Petroineos agreed to reduce the biofuel content of its diesel as a short-term solution. After a meeting with experts in December the industry also received a commitment to create a dedicated taskforce which will assess filter blocking in agricultural vehicles.
Mr Smart said: “All the tests done so far say the fuel is within specifications, so there is something wrong with the standards.”
Farmers who have experienced problems are encouraged to fill in a survey at nfuonline.com