Alan Reid MP and European Prospective Parliamentary Candidate George Lyon have organised a public meeting in Lochgilphead Community Centre at 7pm on Friday 30 January as part of the Save our Forests campaign. A representative of the Forestry Commission Trade Unions will also speak at the meeting.

Alan Reid MP and George Lyon have branded the SNP Government’s plans to privatise Scotland’s forests as a disaster for Argyll & Bute. They have met forestry workers, community groups and forest contractors who raised their deep concerns about the impact that the privatisation plans will have on local jobs and local community projects which use Forestry Commission land.

The Forestry Commission in Argyll directly employs at least 135 local people with another 250 employed by sub contractors to the industry. Sources close to the Forestry Commission informed the local politicians that if the private sector took over the management of local forests in Argyll they would only employ less than 50 people to directly manage the woods as two thirds of Forestry Commission employees work on path maintenance, leisure, archaeological and heritage projects.

Alan Reid MP said; "Selling off our forests would mean a loss of local jobs and work like path maintenance and leisure, archaeological and natural heritage projects would disappear. This is selling off the family silver and future generations will pay the price."

George Lyon added; "Privatising Argyll’s forests could have disastrous consequences for local employment in this constituency. We have organised this meeting to give the Forestry Commission workers and other local people a chance to give their views on the SNP Government's plans."