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Will the minister accept that the cut of the sheep annual premium to £8 this year—half the figure of three or four years ago—means that the problems for the hill farming industry are only beginning if there are to be no livestock sales this autumn?
I agree that that will mean that a much greater premium will be attached to training and retraining people during their working lives, and to drawing into work the substantial number of working-age Scots who are currently economically inactive.
Their main concern was that a regulation that undermined the status of the Scotch label could also undermine the price premium that they enjoy. The main concern arising from the legislative proposal was that the Scotch label could be undermined if regional labelling became compulsory for all stages in the production chain relating to birth, fattening and so...
As I said earlier, six or seven commissioners have visited Scotland this year. During such visits, various discussions take place—they are not here just to see the castle.
Indeed, when Jim Wallace, as Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, accompanied me on a visit to the school two years ago, he met people from each continent, all of whom wanted to study in the Borders.