Visiting Reediehill Deer Farm

Yesterday, I visited Reediehill Deer Farm to meet with owners and deer specialists John and Nichola Fletcher to discuss the challenges facing Scotland's deer farming sector.

During the visit, I heard from them about the farm's longstanding work breeding and supplying high-quality deer breeding stock to customers across the UK and Europe. The business has previously exported live deer to European buyers, helping to support deer farming enterprises across the continent.

However, they explained that the trade in live breeding animals has been severely impacted by changes to export requirements following the UK's departure from the European Union. Increased bureaucracy, veterinary certification requirements, additional costs and logistical barriers have made small-scale exports of live animals significantly more difficult, with exports having effectively dried up as a result.

The farm raised concerns that while demand for quality breeding stock remains, the administrative and financial burden of moving live animals across borders is now prohibitive for many smaller agricultural businesses.

It was incredibly valuable to visit Reediehill Deer Farm and hear directly from the Fletchers about the challenges facing this specialist sector. This is a small business that has built a reputation for supplying high-quality breeding stock, yet changes to trading arrangements since leaving the European Union have created significant barriers to exporting live animals.

It is important that Government listens to these concerns and works to reduce unnecessary barriers to trade so that rural businesses can continue to access important international markets. This is why the Liberal Democrats will continue to push the UK Government to take the necessary steps to improve EU/UK trading relations.

I must say, it was also an honour to meet Lickety Split of Outlander fame!