NFU Scotland has welcomed the European decision to renew authorisation for the plant protection product glyphosate for 10 years, and will now seek a similar authorisation for its application in key timings like pre-harvest. For many Scottish farmers, harvest often coincides with inclement weather and glyphosate can help to ensure weed-free crops.
NFU Scotland’s combinable crops committee chair, Willie Thomson, commented: “We are delighted that science-led evidence has driven the debate at a European level and that the product has been re-authorised for 10 years. We will look to build a robust case, using evidence and case studies from our members, on the need to have glyphosate available for use.
"Reauthorisation of the product would also be hugely beneficial as we move to a lower carbon model of farming as it is a vital tool in the success of reduced tillage systems. And this is very much in line with the Scottish Government’s stated ambitions”.
Round-up
A much smaller show of 298 cast sheep at Ayr yesterday met with similar demand to recent trends, and topped at £190 for a Texel ewe from Fisherton with North Southannan topping the tups at £152 for the same breed.
Meanwhile, Blackies peaked at £74 for Middleton with Cheviots selling to £83 for Muirhouse, and Scotch Mules peaked at £110 for Kayshill. Suffolks sold to an impressive £158 for Harpercroft.
Prime beef-bred heifers at Lanark yesterday rose 4p on the week to an average of 298p/kg and sold to 352p/kg for a Limousin, while beef bred bullocks fell by the same figure to an average of 290p/kg and sold to 335p/kg, again for a Limousin.
Black and White bullocks were mostly unchanged at an average of £251p/kg and a peak of 275p/kg for a Limousin cross. All classes of cast cows saw a slight rise in demand, with beef and dairy types averaging 163p/kg and 148p/kg respectively.
A high turnout of prime lambs saw a fall of 8p/kg on the week, although the best types noticeably commanded a premium as they sold to £161/head.
READ MORE: Anger as Scots farmers hit out at 'vital' funds deferred
Prime heifers at Carlisle yesterday met with extraordinary demand, rising by 43p/kg on the week to an average of 309p/kg and a peak of 600p/kg, while vendors of bullocks also had a good day as average prices rose by 21p/kg to level at 289p/kg. Young bulls rose at a similar rate to an average of 260p/kg, and a rise of 12p/kg in the cast cow section suggests that demand remains strong.
Completing a good day for sellers, prime lambs bucked trends from elsewhere by rising 3p on the week to an average of 277p/kg, while lowland ewes added to the positive mood by jumping 21p/kg to an average of £112/head and selling to £220 for a Beltex.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here