The Argyll & Bute Agriculture Forum was set up in March 1999. Its purpose is to:

• Raise awareness of agricultural issues across Argyll and Bute
  
• To act as a Forum for discussion about agricultural issues in Argyll and Bute
  
• To promote the sustainable development of agriculture in Argyll and Bute
  
• To create a unique opportunity for all agencies with an interest in land use sectors to work together
  

For up to date information on the Agriculture Forum, it's members, meetings and projects, please see the Agricultural Forum Website.

AWARENESS RAISING AND DISCUSSION
The Forum seeks to better inform its members by covering a wide range of topics and having regular presentations, ongoing updates and discussions, on maters such as Land Reform and the Argyll and Bute Core Path Network Project, Land Management Contracts, and CAP reform. The Forum has made representations on matters such as, the Farm Plastics Recycling Scheme; the European Directive on animal welfare in transit at sea, and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code consultation.

ACTION
The Forum is all about well-informed discussion leading to action! It is not just a talking shop! It is taking forward a number of key initiatives such as the Farm Plastics Recycling Scheme, the Marketing Seminar, the Argyll and Area Agriculture Holdings Study and Agriculture Study, and the School Milk Bar scheme.

WORKING TOGETHER
Before the existence of the Agriculture Forum, there was no opportunity for the people who are involved in managing the land in Argyll and Bute to come together, discuss issues of importance to them and work together to achieve better outcomes. Through knowing what each other is doing, and in some cases, not doing, it is possible to make connections and fill gaps, get early warning of opportunities and even threats, and generally get much greater levels of added value for activities. The Forum has also enabled the farming sector to work with sectors, which it would not traditionally have dealt with, and to make greater linkages with other sectors such as the fish processing and forestry sectors.

MEMBERSHIP
The Forum is not a constituted body. Membership is open to those organisations with an interest in agriculture in Argyll and Bute. The Forum has grown significantly over the years and has currently a membership drawn from 14 organisations.

On average 19 people attend the Forum, which meets every 12 weeks. The growth and consistent attendance of the membership indicates the high level of interest in the issues being discussed and the projects being taken forward. The combined knowledge and influence of the Forum members has been beneficial in tackling significant issues.

FORUM PROJECTS

The School Milk Bar Project
The Forum has been working with the Council to promote the use of Milk Bars in schools. This obviously has the advantage of supporting the dairy industry but also had significant benefits in terms of promoting the healthy living agenda.

Farm Plastics
The Forum has been instrumental in coordinating a project to ensure that plastics used on farms are collected and taken away for recycling. A Feasibility study is about to be commissioned to look into expanding this project to include other sectors such as forestry, fish farming, the construction industry and other businesses.

Education and dissemination of information
The Forum has had speakers on a variety of topics such as the new Local Plan, Land Management Contracts, the new Forestry Strategy, the reintroduction of the European beaver and the Royal Highland Educational Trust have spoken to us about their work in promoting farm visits for school groups. The Forum has also had a visit from the coordinator of the Dumfries and Galloway Agriculture Forum and received some useful advice from a Forum, which has been underway for longer than our own.

Food Marketing Seminar
If farming in this area is to survive and prosper it must get greater added value for its products be that its livestock or final products. The marketing Seminar which was held on 5th March 2004 was an important step for the Forum towards increasing the ability of farmers in this area to get involved in adding value to their products and marketing them effectively.

Lobbying
The Forum also gets involved in lobbying from time to time on specific initiatives. For example, the recent European Union directive on Animal Welfare in transit has involved llinking into and supporting the lobbying activity of various networks such as the Scottish Islands Network. The Forum supported their work in developing a study into the implications of this directive on the Highlands and Islands.

Consultation Responses
As stated before, the Forum has a significant role to plan in either responding to consultations itself, or informing its Members of the issues so that they can respond with a greater understanding of the implications of various policies for this area.

Rural Business Ring
The Forum has supported the Steering Group, which is taking forward a proposal for a Rural Business ring, which will provide a pool of labour, and machinery for the area as well as a bulk buying facility.