RURAL Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead will kick off a national discussion on the future of Scottish farming in a bid to achieve “more productive, innovative, profitable and green” at a high-profile event next week.

He wants the public to have their say and will be quizzed about his vision for the future at the Turriff Show in Aberdeenshire hosted by the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) on Monday, August 3.

Four senior industry representatives including the NFUS, Quality Meat Scotland and the Scottish Association of Young Farmer Clubs will join Lochhead for the panel and public discussion

Lochhead said: “I have a vision for a more productive, innovative, profitable and green future for Scottish farming and now is the ideal time to consider how we might best achieve that.

“That is why I recently launched a discussion document on the Future of Scottish Agriculture with the aim of prompting conversations across Scotland about what we want farming to look like in this country and what we need to do to deliver this vision.

“It is crucial that everyone with an interest in agriculture, including people who live in rural communities as well as those who work in the sector, are able to have their say.

“I urge as many people as possible to come along to the NFUS stand at the Turriff Show to share their ideas with me and the other panel members.

“This event is the ideal way to start a national discussion about the future of Scottish farming, which I would like to see continue around kitchen tables.”