Holyrood pressed to help farmers

Version 0 of 1.

Farmers' leaders have written to the Scottish Government seeking urgent financial assistance following the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

They have turned to Holyrood in their fight for compensation after the UK Government refused to offer aid.

The National Farmers Union in Scotland (NFUS) said it hoped Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead could deliver where London had failed.

He will hear the industry's concerns at a meeting on Monday.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said the request would be considered "in the light of what will be a very tight spending review".

"We are deeply aware of farmers' concerns and have always said we will not stand idly by and leave our livestock sector steeped in crisis," she said.

Urgent financial intervention is needed if the Scottish livestock industry is to have a future Jim McLarenNFUS president

Farmers held a series of meeting at Westminster earlier in the week, but came away empty-handed.

UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said the scale of the outbreak was not big enough to merit emergency aid.

NFUS president Jim McLaren has now written to Mr Lochhead seeking a rescue package from the Scottish Government.

He said Westminster was refusing to face up to its responsibility to rectify the financial damage caused by the outbreak.

"We have no time left to wait for the political wrangling to be played out and neither do we wish to be embroiled in it," he said.

"Farmers do not have the luxury of time. Urgent financial intervention is needed if the Scottish livestock industry is to have a future."