Fergusson, who is the Scottish Conservatives’ spokesman on rural affairs and serves on the Scottish Parliament’s rural affairs, climate change and environment committee, was unanimously approved by the three organisations involved in the establishment of the code.
The three organisations are Dairy UK, the National Farmers Union (NFU) and NFU Scotland.
Fergusson said the review process, which is now underway and expected to be completed by the spring, presented a good opportunity to constructively address the issues that have emerged over the last year.
Trust and collaboration
Mansel Raymond, chairman of the NFU dairy board, said: “The NFU is committed to the improvement of commercial relations between farmers and milk buyers, through the development of better milk supply contracts. The industry has fantastic opportunities for growth ahead of it and the code helps create an environment of trust and collaboration to achieve this.”
NFU Scotland president Nigel Miller said the review was a major step forward to ensure effective, fair and transparent contracts were in place to deliver a collaborative and progressive supply chain that worked for all in the dairy market.
Dr Judith Bryans, ceo of Dairy UK, said: “All of us who have been involved in discussions over the review are delighted to have the support and participation of Alex Fergusson, someone who is held in very high regard. We look forward to working closely with him and offering assistance throughout the review. There are a number of issues which have to be looked at and the review offers the chance to deal with them in the round.”