Guest vocals by Stewart Wood

Following the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, thousands of Scottish farmers and associated industries have hit a financial brick wall, with no immediate prospect of market recovery. Although less visible, this outbreak has been just as devastating for the finances of the farming industry as the 2001 outbreak. How do you feed your livestock when the price of feed has increased by 60% within a matter of months, the livestock market has plummeted - in some cases disappeared altogether - and you have no income?

National Farmers' Union Scotland's position remains clear. Put simply, Scottish farms need emergency aid and it is Westminster's responsibility to pay for it.

However, meetings with Hilary Benn, secretary of state for environment and rural affairs, in an attempt to secure compensation were hopelessly disappointing. He washed his hands of all responsibility for Scotland.

We have no time to wait for the political wrangling to be played out and neither do we wish to be embroiled in it. Urgent financial intervention is needed if the Scottish livestock industry is to have a future. Our priority now is to concentrate on taking this issue up with the Scottish government in the hope that it can come to the rescue where the UK government won't.

So why should those who are wholly unconnected with farming care about its future?

It's simple. Few of the 60 million people living in the UK today come into direct contact with farming or farmers. However, several times a day, 365 days of the year, every year of our lives, we all come into contact with the superb quality produce that farmers provide. From milk for our cereal to the chicken in our lunchtime sandwich to the carrots or lamb in our evening meal, farmers provide us with the food that reaches our plates every day.

But Scotland's farmers deliver far more to the population that just food. By supporting Scottish farmers and buying Scottish produce, you are supporting a huge number of things: family businesses and the local rural communities thats in turn support Scotland's famous countryside and its tourism industry; the fight against climate change; the health of your own family; and high animal welfare standards.

If we are to continue to enjoy quality Scottish food rather than importing what we need from the other side of the world we must together ensure that Scottish farming has a future.