At Friday's NFU Scotland Council meeting in St Andrews, Bob Howat and Jim McLaren were elected as Vice Presidents of the organisation. Both are elected for a one-year term of office. Jim is newly elected to the post and Bob has been re-elected to serve a fourth year as Vice President.

The biographical details of the Vice Presidents are as follows:

Bob Howat: Aged 46 and married with four daughters, Bob Howat owns a farm in the Borders and runs a tenanted unit in Fife in partnership with his wife. The hill farm in the Borders and the mixed unit in Fife have a total of 1400 breeding ewes and 50 suckler cows, with all progeny finished on farm. A former Chairman of NFU Scotland's Selkirk Branch and a member of the Borders Area Committee, Bob was also Chairman of the Less Favoured Areas Committee. Bob has been NFUS Vice President since February 2003.

Jim McLaren: Age 38 and married with two sons, two daughters and two step daughters, Jim is a mixed arable and dairy farmer, with 130 Holstein Friesian cows. All young stock are kept for replacements or finished on farm. His arable unit, growing winter wheat, winter oilseed rape, spring barley and potatoes, extends to 1000 acres over four units in Perthshire. The business is a mix of full tenancy, limited partnership, owner occupier and contract farming. His potato enterprise is ending this year, but the land will be let out to keep potatoes in his crop rotation and to utilise the cold storage capacity on the farms. Jim has served on the Milk Committee since 1999, holding the position of chairman in 2003. He was also chairman of Crieff Branch and is currently vice chairman of the Milk Committee.

NFUS President John Kinnaird is currently serving his final two-year term. He will stand down in 2007 when the post of President will be subject to election.

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