NFU Scotland has announced its annual AGM and conference will be online only this year due to rising Covid-19 cases.
The union said it had taken the 'difficult decision' to move its 2022 conference, scheduled for early February, to an exclusively virtual event.
The event – a highlight of the Scottish agricultural calendar – had been initially prepared based on holding a hybrid event.
Speakers and a limited audience would have met in Glasgow on 10 and 11 February, with virtual proceedings being available to watch simultaneously.
However, with Covid cases at a high level, the decision was taken to go fully online by NFU Scotland’s Board of Directors.
They said the health and safety of all potential attendees was 'paramount'.
NFU Scotland president Martin Kennedy said: "While all involved in this tremendous event will have wished for a return to normality, the Covid pandemic continues to wreak havoc with events and plans.
“NFU Scotland’s board of directors was unanimous in its decision that this key event goes ahead and that we move the 2022 event fully online.
"It is a format that worked incredibly well in February 2021 when we delivered a fantastic AGM and conference to a large online audience."
Set against the backdrop of Brexit one-year on and the ongoing impact of Covid, discussions and presentations will be centred around future farm policy, trade, input prices, labour availability and farm assurance.
