The Scottish Government must listen to Scottish farmers and reduce the amount of red tape and regulations being placed on the farming sector; that is the call from MSP Murdo Fraser as the Scottish Government begin their consultation 'Doing Better: The Scoping Report for the Initiative to Reduce Red Tape in Agriculture'. MSP Murdo Fraser wants farmers in Fife and Perthshire to contribute towards the consultation and tell the Scottish Government which regulations are hindering the farming industry. In 2011, MSP Murdo Fraser asked the SNP Government how many times it has replaced regulations with new versions rather than add to existing regulations since May 2007. The Scottish Government confirmed to MSP Murdo Fraser in a parliamentary answer that from 2007 to 2011, a total of 105 SSI's have been made in the broad area of agriculture replacing or revoking 63 previous SSI's. Murdo Fraser MSP said: “I hope that the Scottish Government practise what they preach and will actually cut red tape for our farmers. Since the SNP came to power, our Scottish farmers have faced dozens of extra regulations so it is about time we started to see a cut in bureaucracy. Just now our farmers in Fife, Perthshire and across Scotland are seeing more and more regulations being forced on them. “Our agricultural industry is a national asset in Scotland. The farming community is integral to Fife and Perthshire and I believe that we must be doing more to help our farmers instead of forcing more regulations and bureaucracy on them. I welcome this consultation to reduce red tape as I believe that the farming industry is more than just a business but a way of life and it is important that we have a successful and strong farming sector in Scotland. “There is a vibrant farming community in Fife and Perthshire and yet more and more pressure is being pushed on to our farmers by the inadequacies of the Scottish Government and the EU. It is important that we allow farmers the ability to farm without bogging them down in bureaucracy.”