Aileen Campbell with Fergus Ewing and Angela Crawley at the Q&A in Lanark Market.

I was delighted to welcome Rural Affairs Secretary Fergus Ewing to a Brexit Farming Q&A I hosted with Angela Crawley MP at Lanark Agricultural Centre this week.

Mr Ewing spoke of fears about the effects Brexit could have on markets for Scottish lamb and beef, saying that a responsible government had to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. He covered a wide range of subjects, from sorting out the computer issues for CAP payments, the free movement of people after Brexit, the “absurd” penalties for simple clerical mistakes on subsidy forms, the need for support payments not just for farms and famers, but for rural Scotland, and the importance of producing high quality food in Scotland.

Mr Ewing also outlined moves to counter climate change and the importance of encouraging, rather than requiring, farmers to take necessary steps.