Moray MP Douglas Ross has strongly welcomed a u-turn from the UK Government which means silage film will now not be hit by the tax on plastic packaging.
Douglas had engaged closely with the National Farmers Union of Scotland on the issue before making his concerns known to the Treasury in a recent Westminster Hall debate.
He described the plans by HMRC to hit silage film with the tax as completely wrong, given that agriculture only accounts for three per cent of plastic use across the United Kingdom, and silage film is only a small proportion of that.
Douglas also challenged the Exchequer to the Secretary Helen Whately MP during the debate over how farmers were being impacted by the tax, highlighting how the film is needed to produce silage.
He has now received a letter from the Exchequer Secretary confirming silage film will not be hit by the tax.
Douglas said: “Farmers including those in Moray would have been hugely impacted by this tax which was deeply unfair. Coming from a farming background and having taken the plastic off of many bales over the years, I know how crucial it is for our industry.
“You simply cannot produce silage without easy access to silage film so I’m glad the government has listened to MPs who raised concerns along with NFU Scotland and others.
“It was misguided to impose this tax on silage film in the first place given how the agriculture sector plays a very small part in plastic use across the country.
“I am sure farmers across Moray and our rural communities will welcome this decision from the UK Government and I’m glad that the industry’s engagement coupled with the debate I participated in has brought about this change.”