Leading Scottish Farmer Calls for Normalization of EU Relations With Russia

Former President of the National Farmers Union Scotland George Lyon said that there were issues that needed to be resolved, most notably in Ukraine, before the West and Russia could "move on to a more normal relationship."

EDINBURGH (Sputnik) – Former President of the National Farmers Union Scotland George Lyon told Sputnik on Monday that he would welcome moves to normalize EU relations with Russia, as anti-Russia sanctions have had a "big detrimental effect" on farmers across Europe.

"[Sanctions] have had a huge impact right across European and Scottish agriculture and that has coincided with a big downturn in prices. So it’s a combination and both are having a big detrimental effect," Lyon, who is also a former lawmaker for the Liberal Democrats, said.

According to him, it would be "really good if we could find a way to normalize relations again."

Lyon, a farmer himself, told Sputnik there were issues that needed to be resolved, most notably in Ukraine, before the West and Russia could "move on to a more normal relationship."

His comments follow a series of recent appeals by senior European figures who have called for a to normalize ties with Russia and end anti-Russia sanctions.

In May, Phil Hogan, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development told Sputnik EU sanctions had resulted in 5.3 billion euros ($5.9 billion) being wiped off exports.

Brussels instigated a series of sanctions against Russia in 2014 following the reunification of Crimea with Russia and the crisis in Ukraine. In response to the EU restrictive measures, Russia imposed an embargo against some food products originating from countries that targeted it with sanctions.