MSP Visits Aberdeenshire Dairy Farm

North East Scotland SNP MSP Mark McDonald spent Friday (26th August 2011) at Hillhead of Muirton Farm, near Newmachar in Aberdeenshire, to spend the day with farmer Roddy Catto.

Mr. Catto runs a dairy farm on the site, and has some arable crops including oilseed rape, and is also in the process of installing a new robotic milking parlour. Mr. Catto is also Milk Chairman and Vice Chair for the North East Regional branch of the National Farmers’ Union, and also has a seat on the Robert Wiseman Board of Directors.

Mr. McDonald, who sits on the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs Committee, viewed the new milk sheds which Mr Catto is constructing in order to install a robotic milking system which will increase the efficiency and productivity of his herd, and also spent time discussing the challenges facing Scottish farmers, and Scottish farmers based in the North East, in the current climate.

Commenting, Mr. McDonald said

“I am grateful to Roddy Catto and his wife Angela and the NFU for giving me the opportunity to spend the afternoon at his farm. It was an extremely informative visit and it was good to see the progress being made in the form of the new milking shed which will help increase the amount of milk being produced on the farm.

“It was particularly interesting to hear Mr. Catto’s views on the challenges and problems currently facing Scottish farmers, and I fully intend to pursue some of the issues he raised with me to see if we can take these matters forward to improve the situation for Scotland’s farmers.”