In addition, there are a number of funds that are providing support. There is no Rural Fund for, for example, the self-employed forestry worker who has invested heavily in machinery and cannot use it. It is a similar situation with some agricultural sub-contractors. We should remember the workers in the dairy businesses of Southwest Scotland, when they are laid off. There is no fund to assist businesses and livelihoods on the brink, unless they are farmers.
Many small farmers have other jobs as farm workers on other farms to supplement their incomes.
In infected areas that work has simply dried up. Farmers' Markets have been suspended indefinitely in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Kirkcaldy and Forfar. The consequence is a loss of much needed revenue and a missed opportunity for the public to support farmers by purchasing food direct from the producer. There is always a role for the Church in being a voice for the voiceless. Social exclusion is a popular phrase today.