Public meeting to discuss future agricultural policy

A PUBLIC meeting is being held next week in Lerwick to discuss the potential impacts of future agricultural policy on the sector and island communities.

The event will take place at the Marts cafe on Wednesday 21 February at 7pm.

Scotland’s Rural College and SAC Consulting are working on a study to evaluate the impacts of proposed policy change.

The project will consider the risks and opportunities for the island communities arising from the proposed policy changes, as support becomes “increasingly conditional” based on climate and biodiversity outcomes.

Agricultural economist Steven Thomson will attend next week’s meeting to talk about some of the possible future scenarios that are currently being considered as part of policy development.

This will be followed by a discussion session to gather thoughts and comments.

SAC Consulting’s Osla Jamwal-Fraser said: “The principal aim of our study is to make sure that your voice is heard and that we fully represent the challenges, threats and opportunities that face these three distinct island areas.”