There is a four-way competition for the two vacant vice-presidential roles at NFU Scotland.

Rather than the traditional round of regional hustings, the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions have obliged the candidates to make their case for election via virtual meetings.The elections will take place at the union’s virtual council meeting on Friday, February 12, with online voting arrangements for council members in place.

Here, we offer each candidate space to introduce themselves and comment on the pressing issues facing Scottish farming ... next on our list is Robin Traquair, of Wellington Farm, Millerhill, Dalkeith, Midlothian

"I FARM in Midlothian with my wife Anna where we currently farm 350 sows. We sell pork and bacon pigs through our local wholesaler in Edinburgh and through Scotlean, which is a farmer owned co-op, of which I am a director.

In 2010, after several years of awful returns we decided we had to make the farm more viable, so over a period of six months we de-stocked, cleaned out and repopulated the farm. We were the first commercial business to import high health F1s and Landrace Danish genetics into the UK.

This is my second time sitting as a director of the NFUS. I am currently Lothian and Borders Chairman. I have sat on the Pigs and Poultry Committee for 18 years and was chairman for four, whilst also sitting on the Renumerations committee.

In my youth, I was National Chairman of SAYFC so I have plenty of experience of committees and agri-politics. Through these associations I have had the enjoyment of hosting MPs, MSPs and even the Chief Buyer of Meat for China.

I believe the biggest challenge to Scottish Agriculture in the future will be, without a doubt, climate change. We may not think it at the moment, but Government is going to push us with the heaviest of sticks with legislation aimed at achieving zero net emissions by 2045. We will have to rise to the challenge and rightly so.

NFUS must lead, promoting sensible and workable solutions to support farmers whilst protecting our most fragile countryside and climate.

The average age of farmers continues to rise, and we have a problem with encouraging young people into the industry. We must make a concerted effort to make farming more attractive to our sons and daughters. With Brexit behind us we will see the biggest change in Scottish agriculture since we joined the EU in the 1973. There will be upheaval, but it will also create opportunities for those who are open to change and innovation, and that is what our youngsters can do best.

With food production now back in the hands of Westminster and Holyrood, our agricultural departments are going to have to hire the best minds and ‘up their game’. For Defra to suggest that we cannot load animals when it is cold or windy just highlights the errors that can come out of government departments, if not questioned.

New developments in Biotechnology will play a crucial part in Scottish agriculture in the near future. Gene editing offers the same advantages as long term breeding programmes but in the fraction of the time, and grains and potatoes could become more resilient to disease and pests, something which will surely help towards producing enough food to supply an ever increasing and demanding population.

I appreciate we will never solely compete on price against some of the world’s largest producers such as Brazil and America, but what we can compete with is the outstanding quality of our produce and our low carbon footprint. We already have fantastic fellow organisations such as QMS, SAOS and Scottish Food and Drink who are here to help us with world leading assurance standards and marketing. We must follow the success of Scotch Whisky through branding, where consistent good taste and quality counts. We must provide food with provenance and use these new markets as opportunities to export and sell ourselves to the world. China and many other countries are eager to purchase high end assured meats so we should aim to supply them.

More and more people want to visit the countryside. It is a responsible right to access and not a right to roam, but can we really keep this beauty to ourselves? These are the same consumers who we want to sell our quality produce to. This is a very difficult balance to achieve and it is very encouraging to see Emma Harper MSP’s new bill which proposes tougher financial and custodial penalties for livestock worrying offences.

Farming must have financial stability for it to become an attractive option for the next generation. However, we must be realistic, and stop rewarding inactivity. Progressive farmers who want to be more competitive should be incentivised and we must continue to protect the most fragile areas of our country. I have no doubt that we can move forward and adapt, we have done it before, and we can do it again."