Agriculture and fishing

Individual farmers and fisheries benefit from co-operatives which allow them to share the cost of resources and sell their produce more effectively.

Farmers' Markets, for example, allow farmers, growers and producers to come together to sell their produce direct to the public.

On a larger scale, Shetland Livestock Marketing Group is a co-operative of lamb and beef farmers promoting the goodness of Shetland meat through the Taste Shetland brand.

Labour and machinery 'rings' are agricultural co-operatives that enable their members to share the cost of labour and equipment. Pooling produce through a co-operative can also considerably reduce the cost of food processing.

The Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) leads co-operative and collaborative development in Scotland's agricultural and rural communities. It is a membership organisation working to strengthen the profitability, competitiveness and sustainability of Scotland's farming, food and related rural industries and communities, through co-operation and joint activity.