RHA Recovery Group says "Give us a break Mr Livingstone"
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Scottish Hauliers United in Disbelief at Westminster Intransigence
Scottish livestock hauliers today voiced their anger and disbelief that the Dept for Transport has again turned down the request to relax drivers' hours regulations to allow them to tackle the backlog of animals that need to be moved desperately.
DfT have stated that the welfare case is outweighed by the risk of road safety, the welfare case itself is not strong enough and incredibly they say "it is a short term LOCAL problem".
Phil Flanders director for the Road Haulage Association in Scotland says "it may be a local problem for London but Scotland covers a third of Great Britain. The decision is perverse to say the least. The Scottish Government has worked really hard on behalf of the industry to prove the case. The whole industry is united with the hauliers, we wouldn’t ask if we and NFU Scotland, National Sheep Association, Scottish Meat Processors etc. didn’t believe we need this. The Scottish Government would not have supported this if they didn’t believe in our case."
"How can a minister at the other end of the country make a decision contrary to all the evidence and potential meltdown of all parts of the rural economy in Scotland? The animals cannot be moved as there are not enough hauliers or drivers to cope.
"The animals are likely to suffer as there is little money to pay for the feed to keep them alive or they run out of grain. Many in the supply chain may not survive and it will take a very long time for industry to recover, if at all.
"Livestock haulage is a specialist sector where all staff, particularly drivers, are very knowledgeable and know how to look after the animals in their care. They have to prove they are competent. It’s a great pity the Whitehall officials and their minister who made this decision don’t have this same knowledge or competence of the issues involved."
NOTE
This release will be forwarded to all MSP’s and Scottish MP’s in the hope they can persuade DfT to review this decision. The future of the rural economy of Scotland is in their hands!!
ends
For more details, contact Phil Flanders RHA Director Scotland & Northern Ireland on 07801 500713 or Pat Glancey regional manager on 07801 500714
