Also in the news / Yell tractor run, food security, EU youth movement scheme and more …
A TRACTOR run in Yell tonight (Friday) will see money raised for Christmas treats for Isleshaven care centre.
Starting at Mid Yell Boating Club at 6.30pm, the run will then head down towards the Mid Yell junior high school and then on to Aywick.
The event is being sponsored by Cooke Aquaculture, with catering provided at Aywick by Isle Eat between 5.30pm and 7pm.
ISLES MP Alistair Carmichael has urged the UK Government to recognise rural communities as “essential” to food security in Britain.
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published its annual food security report for 2024 this week, finding the number of “food secure” households in the UK had declined to 90 per cent in the 2022-23 financial year.
It had been as high as 92 per cent in 2019-20.
The report also found low-income and disabled groups were disproportionately at risk of becoming food insecure, and that labour shortages following the UK’s departure from the EU were having a significant impact on the food supply chain.
Carmichael said it was a “stark reminder” that farmers and rural communities had an integral part to play.
“We should be celebrating and supporting their work, not undermining it,” he said.
“Farmers already had to suffer the consequences of botched trade deals under the previous government – and the impact of Covid and the war in Ukraine – so the last thing we need is to introduce yet more harm through an ill-thought-out tax on family farms.
“Time and again I have heard from ministers past and present that ‘food security is national security’.
“It is about time that they explained what this means in practice – and how they are going to ensure that family farmers can deliver food security for us all for generations to come.”
ALISTAIR Carmichael has also joined a cross-party effort calling for an initiative which would allow young people to live and work in Europe.
The UK-EU Youth Mobility Scheme has been supported by over 70 MPs, including Carmichael.
He said the UK Government needs to be “more ambitious about rebuilding stronger ties with our European allies”.
“We already have such a deal with Australia, Canada, Japan and a number of other countries – to do the same with the EU is a no-brainer.
“That need is even more pressing given that local businesses, especially in hospitality and the wider visitor economy, are crying out for young people to join them.
“It is in all our interest to make this happen.”
NOMINATIONS are open for the inaugural Business Gateway recognition awards.
Businesses in Shetland who have benefitted from the Business Gateway service have been invited to nominate any of the team who supported them, or helped in any way during the process.
The awards will celebrate exemplary service, commitment, and impact made by Business Gateway staff in supporting entrepreneurs and businesses around the country.
Those nominating are being asked to fill out a short form and provide a brief description of how the individual helped them.
The deadline for nominations is 24th January. Nominations can be submitted here.
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