Summit on strategies to aid Scottish farmers is coming to Perth this winter

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A summit focusing on meat supply challenges and the positives of opening farm shops for visitors to Scottish farms is coming to Perth.

The Scottish Agritourism Conference will take place at Perth Concert Hall on December 6-7 with a number of sector leaders scheduled to speak.

The national agritourism strategy for Scotland has set an ambitious target that 50 per cent of farms in agritourism will offer guests a food and drink experience that incorporates the farm’s own produce by 2030.The conference is open to anyone with an interest in the agritourism sector in Scotland, whether already operating, considering it, or offering business support to the sector.Small producers face particular challenges around logistics and processing in Scotland and often struggle to secure a margin that makes production worthwhile.The conference, will hear from Nikki Storrar of award-winning Ardross Farm Shop and Scottish Agritourism’s Destination Leader for the Fife area.Also sharing from experience will be Aberdeenshire farmer Louise Urquhart and chair of Quality Meat Scotland Kate Rowell.Cabinet secretary for rural affairs and the islands, Mairi Gougeon, will address delegates and provide an update on the implementation of Scotland’s agritourism strategy.The sessions will be chaired by Jim McLaren MBE, farmer and chairman of NFU Mutual, platinum sponsors of the Scottish Agritourism Annual Conference.Caroline Millar, Scottish Agritourism Sector Lead, said: “We look forward to welcoming everyone with an interest in agritourism to Perth in early December.“Whether you are an established business or you are a farmer or crofter thinking about starting up in agritourism, the conference will provide a great opportunity for the sector to come