Rural affairs role for Finlay

GALLOWAY and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson has been appointed as the Scottish Conservative’s new spokesperson on rural affairs and the environment.

Mr Carson, who ran a family farm in Galloway before entering politics and has a degree in agriculture from the University of Aberdeen says he will hold SNP ministers to account for their failures to support rural Scotland and protect our environment.

He was also the convener of the Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands committee in Holyrood before the last election.

“Honoured and delighted” at the job, he says the SNP have “shamefully neglected” rural Scotland during their two decades in power and left rural communities with fewer services.

He added that successive SNP ministers have also never understood the importance of industries such as farming, fishing and crofting to rural Scotland and have imposed policies on them that have only added to the challenges they are facing.

Mr Carson said: “Having lived and worked all my life in rural Scotland, I know first-hand the challenges these communities are facing and how they have been let down by the SNP.

“They have shamefully neglected rural communities over the last two decades. That is forcing local residents and businesses in areas such as mine in Galloway and West Dumfries to pay more, but get less in return.

“This central-belt obsessed SNP government have never understood the importance of rural Scotland and the industries that sustain our economy.”

The MSP insisted the Scottish Conservatives are the ones who stand up against the SNP failing to support rural Scotland, adding: “We stopped their plans to introduce Highly Protected Marine Areas on our fishermen. We ensured they U-turned on their plans to burn woodburning stoves.

“We held them to account for their shambolic IT system which left farmers without crucial payments and we have always opposed the removal of key public services from rural Scotland.

“Alongside my colleagues, I will be ensuring that the SNP have nowhere to hide when it comes to finally delivering for rural Scotland.”