Scottish Rural Action has said the voices of those in rural Scotland must be heard, after a high level of response to a Brexit consultation

Rural communities are being given the chance to have their say on Brexit.

Scottish Rural Action has extended a three-month consultation into the impact of Brexit on rural Scotland after overwhelming demand from local communities.

The consultation, which was due to end this week before endorsement at the Scottish Rural Parliament, has now been extended till the end of November. The findings of the consultation will then be presented to the UK and Scottish Governments.

Chief executive of Scottish Rural Action, Emma Cooper, said it is critically important that the voice of rural Scotland is heard.

She said: “While we do not yet know what the Brexit agreement will be, we know that Brexit will mean very significant change for Scotland’s people, communities and enterprises and it is absolutely essential that rural concerns are listened to and understood.

“We have been overwhelmed by the breadth of interest and the depth of feeling about Brexit that is emerging from Scotland’s rural communities, and we are determined to provide a platform for rural voices to be heard.

“Post-Brexit policy will be explored at the Scottish Rural Parliament next week and our position statement handed over to Michael Russell, Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations. We are also encouraging rural communities who want to input into this consultation to get in touch and we will organise as many additional consultation events across rural Scotland as we are able to in response to this demand.”

The Scottish Rural Parliament is being held in Stranraer from 14-16 November. To assist people in attending there is a free bus from Inverness via Perth and Glasgow.