By Ewan Pate, farming editor

AS THE National Farmers’ Union of Scotland gathered yesterday at Dunblane for its two-day annual meeting and council meeting there was a mounting sense of anticipation that Rural Affairs Minister Ross Finnie might have something to say about nitrate vulnerable zones.

He addresses the council later today, but speaker after speaker yesterday highlighted the concerns about draconian new rules on application of nitrates to the land.

Leading the charge, retiring president John Kinnaird called for an outbreak of common sense over all types of red tape and regulation.

“We must ensure that the minister catches the common sense bug,” he said.

“I’m not someone who blithely claims farmers will be forced to quit.

“However, I did so last week over NVZs, not to be alarmist but because it is fact and to make sure the minister knows how damaging his proposals are.”

North-east region chairman Jim Stewart threw his weight behind his president, saying, “There is a realisation that what is on the table is not acceptable.

“It will be a disaster if there is no change and all hell will break lose.”

Environment and land use chairman George Lawrie said, “Even the current rules are too restrictive.

“There should be no absolute maximums for use on crops.

“There should be a flexible approach and a long-term re-appraisal.”

He went on to explain that scientific evidence had proven there was not a problem with leaching after mid November and there was no reason why slurry could not be applied over the winter as long as common sense was used.

“Run-off of slurry is not an NVZ problem,” he said.

“It is already covered under the rules for keeping land in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC).

“Similarly, the rules for dung middens and spreading dung or slurry on frozen ground are already in the PEPFFA code which has applied for years.”

Delegate Andrew Moir said, “I do not think the Scottish Executive have realised the impact of new technology, for example GPS-guided applications of nitrogen fertilisers which can be beneficial to both farmers and the environment.”

Although other issues such as milk prices and the growing impatience with the continued existence of the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board all had an airing, inevitably John Kinnaird’s retiral as president after four years in the hot seat was a feature of the afternoon, as each committee chairman in turn praised him for his work.

However, he was obviously determined not to go out without firing a last broadside at both the Scottish and UK governments over their support for voluntary modulation of the single farm payment as a means of funding environmental measures.

“Voluntary modulation is a ridiculously complex yet lazy means of transferring funds from one budget to another, while at the same time undermining the principle of a common agricultural policy,” he said.

“The other 26 EU member states look on bemused as the UK insists on top slicing farm support by up to four times the levels that apply across the rest of the EU.”

One thing he has taken quiet pride in is the restoration of financial stability to NFUS affairs after the debacle of the ill-fated NFU Assist venture.

Yesterday, accounts were approved which show an operating profit of £13,951, boosted to an overall profit of £98,277 with investment and interest payments. Reserves stand at just over £1.3 million.

* Awards were handed out last night at the NFUS dinner to winners of a number of competitions.

The NFUS Young Achiever Award went to John Elliot, Roxburgh Mains, Kelso, for setting up and running Bova-Gen Ltd, which deals with the export and import of embryos, semen and live animals.

He has been sourcing superior genetics through the use of performance figures and past breeding history.

Runner-up Simon McReery, of Yester Farm Dairies, has been building up retail milk and cream sales from the family farm into Edinburgh shops, catering outlets and doorstep deliveries to the extent that he is now handling 1.2 million litres per year. He focuses on providing fully traceable local produce.

The winner of the NFUS Innovation Award was Andrew Rennie, Gask, Turriff, who has developed a bio-gas plant which utilises slurry from the family pig enterprise and waste from a local abattoir.

The electricity generated is sold to the national grid.

Runner-up was the Clark family’s Connage Highland Dairy, which produces organic milk near Inverness.

The milk is processed into cheese and the operation has become a valued local employer.

There is also an NFUS Farming and Conservation Award sponsored by RSPB Scotland.

Winners were Emma and Peter Edmondson, Press Mains, Berwickshire, who have built up “green” tourism ventures on the 493-hectare beef and arable farm.

Runner-up was Shaun Macdonald, who runs 2000 hectares of beef and sheep at Conon Brae and Kirkton farms in Easter Ross.