A group of Scottish potato farmers have sprouted a huge aid mission for Ukraine. As Mark McGivern reports for the Daily Record, the ‘Pick-ups for Peace‘ initiative has already driven one convoy of 22 vehicles to the war torn country, where they were sprayed military green and sent to the front line.
The idea was hatched by farmer Mark Laird, from Kirriemuir, who has worked in Poland and Ukraine for many years. His Central Plains Group (CPG), of farmers operating in Ukraine, is now operating UK-wide. and is scaling up its initial ambition of supplying 100 vehicles – all packed with vital supplies. Already 65 used vehicles, all with MOTs, have been donated.
Organisers hope the initiative – which has benefited from the donation of old farm vehicles – could end up supplying 1,000 vehicles.
Co-organiser Dr Keith Dawson said: “The support has been overwhelming and it’s hard to explain how emotional it was, as the people of Ukraine are so grateful still for all efforts to help them from outside.” Keith, an agronomist who has worked in Poland and Ukraine, said that the idea was born in Scotland but had spread quickly through farming circles.
Source: Daily Record. Read the full story here
Photo: Mark Laird, middle, in Ukraine. Credit Daily Record
