The Scottish harvest is about to get under way, with some combines having already ventured out in early areas like south Ayrshire and the Lothian and Borders.

Waiting for crops to ripen is a test of patience, more so when a combine is working in a neighbour's field.

Grain needs to be dry to be stored, ideally at about 14 per cent moisture content. That can sometimes be achieved naturally in good weather, but more often than not grain is harvested at around 20 per cent, or even more, and then dried. Drying grain is an expensive option, so it's always preferable to wait and hope for sunshine and drying winds - not a regular occurrence in a typical Scottish harvest.

Some livestock farmers are now using an easy and cost-effective method of harvesting their grain early, before it has fully ripened. Called the crimping process, it allows cereals to be harvested and preserved at moisture contents of up to 45 per cent.

The technique involves rolling early-harvested cereals through a crimping machine to expose the carbohydrate and protein, and then adding a preservative through an applicator on the machine. The crop is then stored in an airtight clamp or plastic tube where it undergoes a quick and controlled fermentation and remains stable for long-term storage.

The swathes of straw left behind the combine are left to dry before being baled for animal feed or bedding, as with crops harvested when fully ripened.

Apart from the operational benefits of an earlier harvest, crimped grain leads to enhanced animal performance as it is broken down slowly in the rumens of cattle and sheep.

Arable farmers have a couple of useful tricks up their sleeves to speed up the ripening process. One that is widely used for oilseed rape is a system called swathing, where the rape is cut and left in rows or swathes that dry out the stems and any weeds. As the crop is left lying in one direction, there is less chance of the combine getting blocked, and there are fewer seed losses as the pods enter the combine first.

A more controversial method of speeding up the ripening process in both oilseed rape and cereals is desiccation. That's where the crops are sprayed pre-harvest with the herbicide glyphosate, to kill off any late-ripening green shoots and weeds. That not only ensures the quality of the crop, but also means that less expensive drying after harvest is required.

The problem with glyphosate is that there are lingering, unsubstantiated doubts in the minds of politicians about the product's safety for humans. As a result its future has been thrown into fresh doubt, with the current license for its use expiring at the end of the year,

Until now the EU has been split on the issue, leaving the EU Commission having to issue a new license under its own volition, though this was just for 18 months rather than the full 15 years anticipated.

Now the EU Commission has said it will only relicense the weed-killer if a clear majority of member states signal their approval. EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis said in Brussels last Monday it was time member states took responsibility and decided one way or another.

Both the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have given glyphosate, the most widely-used herbicide in Europe, a positive assessment. Speaking in Brussels, Mr Andriukaitis said: "While I have no reason to doubt that this substance is safe, and therefore we will propose the renewal for 10 years, I wanted to make clear that the Commission has no intention to reapprove this substance without the support of a qualified majority of member states."

A qualified majority requires that at least 16 of 28 member states, representing more than 65 per cent of the EU's population, vote in favour - something that has not been possible in the recent past with France and Germany both abstaining in the votes on glyphosate.

Not surprisingly, farmers unions across the EU are lobbying the Commission for reauthorisation. Coceral (the association representing the trade in cereals and oilseeds) and Copa- Cogeca (representing EU farm cooperatives and EU farmers unions) sent a joint letter to member states last week calling for the full 15 years re-authorisation and not the 10 years suggested by the Commission, as there are no safety concerns.

We need to respect our current regulatory process, that is based on solid scientific evidence that is well scrutinised by an independent body and based on risk assessment, and not be led by political whims.