Shadow Rural Secretary and Borders MSP, Rachael Hamilton visited Peelham Farm last week to hear more about organic farming from the Walton family.
The Waltons at Peelham Farm, near Foulden in Berwickshire, are committed to organic farming and food production principles. They are annually audited for organic certification from the Soil Association, and have Organic and Pasture-for-Life certification for both their farm and the on-farm butchery unit.
This provides customers with confidence that every part of our farming and food business with the highest standards of animal welfare, soil management, environmental sustainability, environmental health, food quality and traceability.
Mrs Hamilton saw first-hand, the entire food supply chain, from where the livestock graze, to the finished product, which included artisan charcuterie meats.
During a tour of the farm, Angus and Denise Walton discussed with Rachael, the need for a stronger direction in Scottish farm policy, the Nature Farming Friendly Network, the Pasture-For-Life scheme and the need to move away from high-input intensive farming methods, as the bases for profitable farming that does not cost the environment.
The Pasture-Fed Livestock Association champions their certification mark which promotes the virtues of pastoral farming, providing a distinct identity for systems where animals eat only grass and forage crops their entire life.
Mrs Hamilton believes that the Scottish Government needs to provide much more clarity to farmers on policy direction as well as ensuring that more support is available to the sector to allow for more sustained, organic and environmentally friendly ways of farming.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said:
“I want to thank Angus and Denise Walton for the fantastic day at Peelham Farm.
“Their passion to produce high quality organic products is boundless and their success is testament to their drive to promote organic farming.
“Throughout the visit, I heard more about the benefits of organic farming and the action the SNP Government must take urgently, to offer farmers clarity on the future direction of farming.
“Farmers continue to be left in the dark without robust policy plans for over two years now.
“I have written to the Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon on this very point, and demanded that the Suckler Beef Support scheme is continued”
Denise Walton of Peelham Farm said:
“We greatly appreciated Racheal’s visit and the time she gave to listening to us.
“She showed a real empathy and understanding for our concerns that the significant changes our industry needs to make to stem biodiversity loss and carbon emissions, can only happen with decisive and clear policy support from Government. There is no time left to lose.”