 Bad weather has brought misery for potato growers |
Potato growers in the north of Scotland have hired a helicopter to spray their crops in an effort to control blight. Farmers have blamed a long spell of poor weather for the outbreak of the fungal disease, which thrives in damp.
Ground sodden by downpours has also made it difficult for agricultural machinery to operate on the land.
Kenny MacGillivray, a spraying operations manager, said it had been about nine years since the last time he was brought in to tackle blight.
He said PDG Helicopters' Inverness operation had been working for four farmers on the outskirts of Forres, Morayshire.
A helicopter - which itself was grounded for four days because of bad weather - has been spraying 420 acres (169 hectares) at a rate of 100 acres (40 hectares) an hour.
It was due to finish its second and final crop spray by late Monday afternoon.
Rain showers
Mr MacGillivray said: "At this time of year we would normally be spraying bracken.
"I have a long association with this area going back to the '80s and I hate to see the farmers here in trouble."
Colin Mason, chairman of the National Farmers' Union Scotland's Highland region, said cereal growers were still pinning hopes on an improvement in the summer.
He said winter barley, which should have been cut a week to 10 days ago, was being harvested in between rain showers.
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