SCOTLAND'S farmers should say 'No Thanks' to leaving the UK, according to a group comprising former presidents and vice-presidents of NFU Scotland, along with the former chair of Quality Meat Scotland.

At a campaign meeting in Stirling livestock market yesterday they highlighted five key benefits for farming and food businesses from staying in the UK.

l Keeping the pound and the currency union;

l Keeping the moderate farmer-friendly tax and fiscal policies such as tax exemptions on inherited land, zero VAT rate on food, red diesel and the tax free exemptions on herd basis;

l Keeping a UK home market of 63 million consumers for our large volumes of food exports;

l Securing our current CAP payments and uplift in payments in 2017 when the UK review of convergence is completed;

l Keeping the best of both worlds with all aspects of agriculture decided in Holyrood but still enjoying the benefits of sharing the risks, a large home market and the power and influence of the UK on the world stage.

Spokesman for the group, former NFUS president Ian Grant, also past president of the Scottish Tourist Board, said: "I am sure I speak for the majority of rural leaders who believe we have the best of both worlds with all aspects of agricultural policy decided here in Holyrood but still enjoying the benefits of sharing the risks, a large home market and the power and influence of the UK on the world stage.

"The majority of rural leaders have drawn on their lifetime experience of the food and farming sector and collectively we believe that Scottish agriculture is better off remaining part of the UK family.

"On a range of issues such as currency, which is vital to the farming sector, tax and fiscal policy, or securing continued and increasing CAP support, there is no doubt that future economic prospects for farm and food businesses will be better off remaining within the UK."

Former QMS chairman Donald Biggar added: "UK markets are key to the prosperity of Scottish farming businesses with 70% of our meat production sold into the rest of the UK, much of it marketed under a British home produced label.

"Turning ourselves into foreign exporters in 90% of that current home market is sheer folly and it will hit returns to Scottish producers hard if we become independent."

But Scottish Rural Affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said: "Scotland's farmers want vision for the future not endless and groundless scaremongering about UK consumers not buying our food or not being able to keep the pound which belongs to Scotland as much as anyone else.

"Farming and food is a much bigger priority in Scotland than the UK as illustrated by the woeful track record of successive UK Governments …

"That's why we have the lowest farm payments and rural development funds in the EU and why four former highly regarded NFU presidents who are still active in farming affairs declared for Yes only last week so we can safeguard this precious industry's future with independence."

For more news see Friday's The Scottish Farmer or visit thescottishfarmer.co.uk