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Farmers hear from budding presidents at Aberdeenshire hustings

Candidates from north and north-east go head-to-head.

NFUS presidential hopefuls Alasdair Macnab and Andrew Connon at the hustings event at Lochter.
NFUS presidential hopefuls Alasdair Macnab , left, and Andrew Connon at the hustings event at Lochter. Image: NFUS

The race for the White House is over, with Donald Trump nailing a second stint in power, but it’s still all to play for in the battle to become president of the National Farmers’ Union Scotland (NFUS).

And the two candidates, Andrew Connon and Alasdair Macnab, are on the road campaigning for votes.

The duo are joined by three hopefuls for the two vice-president roles up for grabs.

Oldmeldrum showdown

Michael Davis, Duncan MacAlister and Robert Neil are each setting out their stall to woo union members in that particular contest.

About 100 people turned up at Lochter Activity Centre, near Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, to hear what they all had to say.

Andrew farms near Ellon so was more or less on home soil.

His family turned up in the middle of his presentation just to add to the pressure.

Aberdeenshire farmer sets out his stall

He told the audience he is adept at “opening doors and building relationships”.

And if he takes over the president’s role from Martin Kennedy in February he will make sure the union “keeps up the pressure” on the UK Government over its controversial inheritance tax plans.”

He ended his opening speech by saying he would be “grateful” for north-east support.

Alistair promises ‘clarity of direction’

Alasdair, who farms at Kildun, Dingwall, said he wanted to help give the industry “clarity of direction”.

“My motto is ‘first find the facts'”, he said, adding this will help the union come up with the right strategy for negotiating its position in upcoming battles on the taxation front.

Helping to get the message out about “what we are and who we are” must also be a priority for farmers across Scotland, he said.

Of the three would-be vice-presidents, Michael was also on his home patch.

Mike Davis.
Mike Davis. Image: NFUS

He is a former policeman and farms in the Insch and Oldmeldrum areas.

Duncan has a 2,000-acre mixed arable and livestock farm on the Kintyre peninsula.

And Robert, the current chairman of AgriScot, is a tenant farmer on Lothian Estate in the Scottish Borders.

The Aberdeenshire hustings audience.
These NFUS members in Aberdeenshire, like others around Scotland, are choosing their next leaders. Image: NFUS

Questions from the floor to all five candidates covered topics ranging from the inheritance tax changes to green energy, skills and future funding arrangements.

Lochter was the sixth stop on the route of a punishing schedule which sees them visiting 10 locations around Scotland.

Duncan Macalister
Duncan Macalister. Image: NFUS
Robert Neil. Image: NFUS
Robert Neil. Image: NFUS

The tour continues next week with hustings events taking place in Lauder in the Scottish Borders on Monday, Shetland on Tuesday and, finally, Orkney on Wednesday.

The new presidential trio will be chosen at the union’s annual meeting in Glasgow on February 7.

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