A Stronger Rural Voice After Brexit
Farmers across Ochil and South Perthshire have faced years of uncertainty since the UK left the European Union. Changes to markets, labour availability, trade arrangements and agricultural payments have made long-term planning harder for farms of every size.
Annabelle Ewing is making rural communities central to her work as the SNP candidate for Ochil and South Perthshire. Her approach focuses on listening to farmers, defending the support they need and ensuring that Scotland’s interests are represented directly at Westminster.
How Annabelle Ewing Is Working with Farmers to Secure Post-Brexit Support means connecting local experience with practical political action. The aim is a farming policy that protects food production, strengthens rural economies and gives agricultural businesses confidence to invest.
Listening To Local Farming Communities
Effective representation begins with regular contact. Farmers understand the pressures facing their businesses better than any Westminster department, whether those pressures involve input prices, unpredictable weather, transport costs or access to seasonal workers.
Annabelle’s local campaigning gives her the opportunity to hear those concerns directly. Conversations with agricultural businesses, crofters, land managers and rural families can help identify where government schemes are failing and which forms of support would make the greatest difference.
This approach also recognises the variety within Scottish agriculture. A lowland arable farm, a livestock business, a mixed farm and a croft may require different forms of assistance. Rural policy should reflect that diversity rather than impose a single solution across every region.
Protecting Agricultural Payments
Leaving the European Union removed Scotland from the Common Agricultural Policy and created a complicated transition towards new domestic arrangements. Farmers need clarity about eligibility, payment schedules and the environmental conditions attached to public funding.
Annabelle supports a fair and dependable replacement for European agricultural support. Payments should reward food production, sustainable land management and the wider public benefits delivered by farming, including biodiversity, flood management and the maintenance of rural landscapes.
Financial support must also be accessible. Smaller farms can struggle with complex applications and administrative demands, even when they are delivering exactly the outcomes public schemes are designed to encourage. Simpler guidance and timely payments would help farming families plan with greater certainty.
Improving Trade And Market Security
Farmers need access to reliable markets for livestock, grain, dairy, fruit and other products. New border arrangements have increased paperwork and created additional costs for businesses that previously traded smoothly across the UK and with European partners.
A stronger rural voice at Westminster would press for practical measures that reduce unnecessary friction. This includes efficient customs processes, fair competition standards and trade arrangements that protect Scottish producers from low-quality imports produced to weaker standards.
Market security is also about public procurement. Schools, hospitals and other public institutions can support local agriculture by purchasing more Scottish food where possible. Building stronger links between producers, processors and public buyers would keep more value within rural communities.
Supporting Sustainable Rural Businesses
Post-Brexit assistance should help farms remain economically viable while adapting to changing environmental and market conditions. Investment in renewable energy, efficient machinery, soil health and local processing can reduce costs and create new income streams.
This does not mean asking farmers to carry the cost of every national environmental ambition. A fair transition requires funding, technical advice and realistic timescales. Farmers should be treated as partners in climate and nature policy, with their knowledge recognised in the design of schemes.
Rural businesses also depend on infrastructure beyond the farm gate. Better broadband, transport links, veterinary services and access to skills can make a significant difference to the resilience of agricultural communities across Ochil and South Perthshire.
| Rural priority | Practical concern | Political focus |
|---|---|---|
| Stable farm payments | Uncertainty over eligibility and timing | Clear, dependable long-term support |
| Fair trade | Border costs and import competition | Better market access and strong standards |
| Sustainable production | Investment costs and changing requirements | Funded transition and expert advice |
| Rural infrastructure | Connectivity, transport and services | Stronger investment in countryside communities |
| Food security | Pressure on domestic production | Support for Scottish producers and processors |
Speaking Up For Scottish Interests
Agriculture is devolved in Scotland, yet many decisions affecting farmers are shaped by UK-wide fiscal, trade and immigration policies. That makes effective representation at Westminster especially important.
Annabelle’s legal background and previous parliamentary experience provide a foundation for scrutinising legislation and challenging decisions that overlook Scotland’s circumstances. She can bring local evidence into national debates, ensuring that rural concerns are treated as core economic issues rather than peripheral matters.
The case for Scottish independence is also connected to agricultural policy. Supporters of independence argue that Scotland should have the full powers to design systems suited to its own land, climate, food sector and rural economy. Until that choice is made, strong representation remains essential.
Building A Fairer Rural Economy
Farm support cannot be considered separately from the wider rural economy. Agricultural colleges, machinery suppliers, abattoirs, hauliers, food manufacturers and local shops all depend on a healthy farming sector.
A long-term plan should encourage more value to be retained locally. Supporting co-operatives, regional processing and direct sales can help producers gain greater control over prices and build stronger relationships with consumers.
Food security is another central concern. A resilient Scotland should be able to produce more of the food it consumes while maintaining high animal welfare and environmental standards. Farmers need policies that make domestic production viable rather than relying increasingly on distant supply chains.
Turning Rural Priorities Into Action
Annabelle’s work with farmers is grounded in representation, accountability and practical support. Her campaign can help connect local voices with parliamentary pressure on payments, trade, infrastructure and the future of Scottish agriculture.
The approach rests on several priorities:
- Maintain reliable agricultural payments during and after the transition from EU support.
- Reduce unnecessary bureaucracy for farmers and rural businesses.
- Defend high Scottish standards in trade and food production.
- Invest in broadband, roads, skills and local processing.
- Give farmers a meaningful role in shaping environmental and economic policy.
For Annabelle, representing Ochil and South Perthshire means staying connected to the communities that make the constituency strong. Her message to supporters reflects the importance of collective effort, local campaigning and continued engagement.
Farmers and rural residents can help shape this work by sharing their experiences, raising local priorities and supporting a stronger Scottish voice at Westminster. Join Annabelle Ewing’s campaign, stay informed about her rural policy, and help build a fairer and more secure future for farming communities.