Whiteford and Smith Highlight Success of Local Egg Producer

Banff and Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford and Scottish MEP Alyn Smith have highlighted the success of local egg producer AJ Duncan in a visit to the company’s egg-producing facility near Turriff.

Alyn Smith MEP,
Milan Copic, General Manager of Egg Production at AJ Duncan,
and Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP

Dr Whiteford, who is the SNP’s Agriculture Spokesperson at Westminster, and Alyn Smith, who is the sole Scottish representation on the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, visited the Fortrie-based business last week as part of their summer tour of rural communities.

AJ Duncan were recently honoured with a Scottish Egg Quality Award and the two politicians took the opportunity on their visit to congratulate the company on their success.

Dr Whiteford commented:

“I was interested to hear of the scale of investment that AJ Duncan have made into egg production at this facility and this award is well-earned recognition for the quality of the final product at Fortrie. I congratulate David Green, Milan Copic and all involved at AJ Duncan in driving the success of this local business.”

"It was also important to have the opportunity to discuss the failure of the EU to ensure welfare standards of hens across the EU. Scottish farmers have invested heavily in improving welfare standards and I will continue to press their case at Westminster to ensure that they are not disadvantaged by other Member States who have failed to implement improved conditions for laying hens."

Alyn Smith added:

“I was deeply impressed by the scale and organisation of production at the AJ Duncan farm. Having an award-winning and ambitious company based here is a major boost for the local rural economy and I wish all at AJ Duncan every success in the future as they seek to go from strength-to-strength.”

Whiteford and Smith were treated to a tour of the company’s facility, followed by a meeting with Dave Green, AJ Duncan’s Chief Executive, to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the company.

Dave Green, Chief Executive of AJ Duncan, commented after the visit:

“It was a delight to welcome Eilidh and Alyn to the farm. Their support and that of the wider community is very important for a company with local roots like AJ Duncan. We also appreciate their willingness to be approached and to assist us wherever possible, and we look forward to welcoming them back to AJ Duncan in the not too distant future.”