Newly appointed Defra Secretary of State Michael Gove has been urged to attend next week’s Royal Highland Show.
NFU Scotland issued the invite yesterday after Mr Gove was appointed Environment Secretary replacing Andrea Leadsom who becomes the new leader of the Commons.
Union president, Andrew McCornick, said: “Since the landmark Brexit vote almost a year ago, NFU Scotland has been in regular dialogue with Westminster, pushing our key asks around policy, support, trade and labour.
“We congratulate Michael Gove on his appointment as Secretary of State and we hope to meet with him shortly. We believe the Highland Show, which commences on June 22, would be an ideal opportunity for Mr Gove to engage with a wide range of stakeholders from the Scottish industry.”
Mr McCornick also congratulated Scottish Secretary of State David Mundell and Farming Minister George Eustice on their re-appointments.
He said: “We look forward to picking up where we left off and we would welcome early discussions on the way forward.”
Meanwhile, the NFU south of the border has issued an open letter to Mr Gove highlighting the importance of agriculture to the economy.
In the letter, president Meurig Raymond, says: “British farms grow the raw ingredients for the UK food and drink manufacturing sector, the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, worth £109billion and providing 3.8million jobs.
“Farming is of enormous value to the economy – for every £1 invested, farming delivers around £7 back to this country. British farmers are proud to provide over 60% of the nation’s food and manage 70% of UK landscape.”
He calls on Mr Gove to work with the devolved governments across the UK to “ensure a productive, progressive and profitable future” for British farmers.
A Defra spokeswoman last night said she did not yet know whether or not Mr Gove would be attending the Highland Show next week, but said it was “being considered”.
