Like many who live in the Kintyre and Islands ward and the wider Argyll and Bute constituency I continue to be baffled by the relentless attacks on our already struggling farming industry by so called environmental activists who claim that agriculture, an industry that can be traced back to 20,000 BC, is somehow responsible for climate change.

This latest pearl of wisdom from the urban based intelligentsia is a complete attack on the culture and economy of rural Scotland and should be treated with all the contempt it deserves. Locally sourced beef, lamb, pork, milk, eggs and other produce from our hardworking and at times hard-pressed farmers and crofters is an ideal part of our everyday diet. All our local and national farms adhere to extremely high levels of welfare standards for their live stock in every possible way.

So I would implore my constituents to ignore the anti farming hysterical nonsense you might hear from a handful of activists and the perpetually offended Twitter-mobs who are just a very small section of our society who do allot of shouting but do not speak for the vast majority of our nation.

I encourage all local residents to continue buying locally farmed meat and produce as it's good for you, it's good for our economy and it's good for our environment.

Cllr Alastair Redman