Speaking after the Autumn conference minister for agriculture Jim Fairlie acknowledged the current financial constraints facing the government, stressing that budgets are tight, and insisted that the funds previously allocated to farming were vitally important in balancing the budget.

During his conference speech Mr Fairlie was asked to provide clarity to the farming community regarding the return of the borrowed finances but was unable to deliver a timeline. He said: “When the money comes back in is down to the finance secretary and when and how she can do it.

“Every single penny that was destined to go to the farming community through schemes such as the BPS was paid in full, this was money that was unused at that point.

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“It was used to help the government balance the budget and the incoming budget will hopefully give the Scottish government some flexibility because everything is now at breaking point financially. Only when that happens will we be able to return that money into the system that it was there to support.”

He then emphasised the need for collaboration between government and the agricultural industry to reverse the decline in suckler cow numbers, pointing to economic factors and the necessity of building confidence among stakeholders.

Highlighting the financials involved in rearing cattle he stated: “QMS are doing a lot of good work to find out why people are putting cows away, a lot of the drop can be explained by price. If a cow that doesn’t have a calf and is worth £2,000 then you take it, as opposed to keeping it for another year.”

Stating communication across the different levels as key to pausing the decline he highlighted the need for security, “processors need to know they have the backing of the retailers and in turn the retailers are going to need to know they can sell it.

“If the processors have the confidence, they can continue to give that to the producers who will in turn put stock on,” he said, before rearming the governments desire to collaborate with the industry to not just halt the decline but to rebuild the numbers.

Additionally, Mr Fairlie highlighted the responsibility of retailers in ensuring food security, advocating for a balance between environmental goals and food production.

“The retailers are going to have to accept their responsibility, they control 90% of the groceries market in this country, and they must ensure there is a resilient food supply,” said Mr Fairlie.

“It is not good enough for them to say that they can bring cheaper food in from elsewhere and that you, the grower, must cut the prices.

“Food security is key to what we are trying to do. We have always said that we can meet the environmental credentials but that does not come at the expense of food production.”