COURIER OPINION: Politicians cannot stand by while Perthshire farmers are forced to abandon food

It is hard to comprehend a society that on one hand is facing a living costs and food poverty crisis while millions of pounds of quality produce are going to waste on the other.

In Perthshire, farmers Peter and Melanie Thomson have been forced to abandon a crop of blueberries worth £3m because of issues in hiring harvest help and rising costs.

Rather than see the crop lost, the pair have generously invited in community groups and charities to take what they want.

But with thousands of households struggling to put a meal on the table, the potential loss of high-quality fruit is a real blow.

Food is a precious and vital resource at the best of times – and we are very far from being there.

If farmers cannot get their crops out of the ground, the consequences for their livelihoods is great and for society as a whole even greater.

The experience of the Thomsons needs to be seen – and understood – by politicians and policy-makers alike.

And all levers must be pulled to ensure the situation they find themselves in cannot simply repeat year after year.

Those solutions may be difficult to identify and implement, but they must come.