Around 100 protesters from an area badly hit by foot-and-mouth pleaded at the Scottish Parliament today for immediate cash help for small firms.
They presented a petition at the Edinburgh parliament calling on the Scottish Executive to set up a survival fund for individuals and small businesses affected by the crisis in Dumfries and Galloway.
Ms Jane Sargeant, who led the protest, said: "We are not Motorola and we don't have 3,000 jobs under one body, but there are around 3,000 people in Dumfries and Galloway affected by this crisis.
"We are asking the Scottish Executive to establish a survival fund for individuals and small businesses now because what we need are customers and cash and at the moment we have neither."
Mrs Sargeant, who runs an outdoor clothing and footwear business in Castle Douglas, said: "The money that each individual business should get depends on the problems they have.
"There are bus loads of protesters that were not able to make it today because they are dealing with the foot-and-mouth crisis," she said.
PA