JULY

FIGURES were published showing that rural crime had significantly decreased in Scotland over the past three months, assisted by Covid-19 restrictions, an uptake in the use of trackers on plant and farm machinery and some timely action by Police. The Police Scotland National Rural Crime Unit reported a 39% reduction in rural thefts this April, May and June, compared to the same quarter last year. Also, for the first quarter of 2020, there was a 114% increase in the amount of farm and plant machinery recovered – with 130 vehicles worth more than £400,000 returned to owners. During the summer of 2019 there was a huge drive by the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime to meet rural dwellers at agricultural shows and community events, with an aim of improving dialogue between the two and work co-operatively towards tackling rural crime.

John Scott Meat purchased the shareholding of AP Jess in Sandyford Abattoir (Paisley) and the ‘assets and goodwill’ of AP Jess Paisley. As of June 26, Sandyford Abattoir and Sandyford Hides and Skins, at Sandyford Road, Paisley, were fully owned and controlled by John Scott Meat. The combination of the site in Scotland, as well as a distribution depot in Basildon, Essex, makes JSM one of the largest family-owned meat processors in Scotland, with a slaughter capacity of 500 cattle and 2000 sheep per week and more than 100 employees. Managing director, Hazel Scott, said: “When David and Allan Jess approached us with their offer to retire from their positions at Sandyford Abattoir to allow them to continue with their other business interests, it came at exactly the right time for us to progress our plans for expansion to keep up with an ever-growing demand."

July saw moves afoot to reopen driving tests for Scottish farmworkers ahead of the coming harvest. NFU Scotland had been in discussion with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and stressed the importance of resumed testing for the agricultural workforce.

It was official – following weeks considering the rules and regulations surrounding social distancing and negotiations with auction markets, plus the Scottish Government, this year’s Kelso Ram Sales were finally cancelled as a result of Covid-19 restrictions. With infection rates falling, it had been hoped restrictions would ease sufficiently in time for the sales to continue. As the UK’s largest one-day sale of breeding rams, the Border Union Kelso Ram Sales had again attracted a huge entry of more than 5000 shearling and ram lambs, which had to be sold through the seven auctioneering companies that would normally sell at the event. Stuart Craig, chairman of the Ram Sales, said: “It is with great regret that we have to announce the cancellation of the 2020 Closamectin Border Union Kelso Ram Sales. Our trustees and ram sale committee looked at all available options of how we could have held the sale safely under Covid-19 restrictions. However, due to public health concerns, the safety of our sellers, buyers, staff, contractors and volunteers must come first.”

Discount retailer Aldi ventured where the UK’s Conservative government had so far feared to tread, by issuing a firm commitment never to accept food imports from countries with lower welfare livestock systems than those allowed under EU law. July saw the UK’s new Agriculture Bill – the flagship legislation intended to set the country’s farming on a different course from Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy – come under scrutiny in the House of Lords, and there was still hope that amendments might be added to make it a matter of law that, whatever post-Brexit trade deals are struck, UK consumers will never be offered meat from the chemically extravagant production systems of the United States and its economic satellites. But as that political process ground on to its uncertain conclusion, Aldi followed the lead set by upmarket chain Waitrose, and raised the stakes for all retailers, by pre-emptively issuing its own ban on livestock products from US-style systems, to immediate acclaim from consumer groups and animal welfarists. Chief Executive of the RSPCA, Chris Sherwood, said: “It is great to see retailers like Aldi and Waitrose speaking out against lower welfare imports – it shows that shoppers of all incomes have no appetite for lower welfare imports.”

The deadline for applications to the Sea Eagle Management Scheme (SEMS) was extended to Friday 18, September 2020, to allow extra time for proposals to be put forward following the recent Covid-19 pandemic. The SEMS – run by Scottish Natural Heritage – offers monetary support for livestock farmers and crofters whose businesses have suffered as a result of sea eagle attacks. At the start of this year, the scheme for 2021 was revised to offer not only an acreage based payment capped at £1500 per annum, but extra cash for the likes of enhanced shepherding on the hills and support for the building of lambing sheds and polytunnels, amongst a wider range of options. For the 2021 scheme, there will also be monetary support of a minimum of £500 available to small crofts to help with mitigation measures, who previously couldn’t apply under the acreage basis.

Despite an annual income of more than £9m, there were question marks surrounding the future of the Royal Highland Agricultural Society and it’s flotilla leading event, the Royal Highland Show. Last year’s four-day event at Ingliston not only attracted a record breaking attendance of 195,400, but also secured an amazing £4.82m for the society. Add to that a £2.15m income from some 200 other centre events and £2.04m from land assets, membership and investments, and the RHASS yielded a total income of £9.01m. However, with e x p e n d i t u r e totalling £9.75m in 2019 and the cancellation of all such events at Ingliston to date as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, in its latest annual report on the society’s finances, auditor Ernst and Young have warned: “... there remains a material uncertainty related to the impact of Covid-19 which may cast significant doubt on the group or charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.” According to RHASS chief executive, Alan Laidlaw, the comments were based on the huge uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and whether a 2021 Royal Highland Show would be able to go ahead and if so, in what format when social distancing is key to reducing the spread of the virus. “We cannot shy away from the fact that we are facing a very uncertain future with challenges posed by the global coronavirus pandemic,” said Mr Laidlaw, who said the cancellation of the 2020 Highland had wiped £4.5m from the society’s income, along with another £2m from other centre events.

Figures showed Scotland had seen a dramatic drop in on-farm fatalities in the last 12 months, suggesting a clear shift in the attitudes of farmers and crofters towards health and safety. According to newly released figures by the Health and Safety Executive, the number of farm deaths in Scotland dropped from 13 to two, between the period April 2019 to March 2020. In the UK as a whole, 21 people were killed – 18 less than the previous year – making it the lowest number of deaths in the past five years. However the Farm Safety Foundation urged farmers not to become complacent, highlighting that three children were killed on UK farms last month. The latest figures were published to coincide with Farm Safety Week (which began Monday, July 20) which saw many organisations such as the FSF, NFU Scotland, RSABI and SAYFC promote the importance of good health and safety practice on farm and warn of the dangers of the profession.

It became apparent that venison, seen as a high value niche product, could become the latest victim of the pandemic – unless financial assistance from Government becomes available. According to a survey carried out in May by the Association of Deer Management Groups (ADMG), if, in a worst case scenario, no let stalking or venison sales were to be possible as a result of Covid-19, direct losses to the wild deer sector could total £9m. The figures were from a survey based on responses from 103 businesses covering just under 2m acres of land extrapolated for the whole red deer range. ADMG chairman, Richard Cooke, said venison dealers and processors had lost all their restaurant, foodservice and catering customers during the Covid-19 crisis; also the export market to Europe. As a result, deer carcase prices paid by some game dealers have crashed – from £2.20-£2.30 per deadweight kg in 2019 to a 2020 stag season opening price of £1/dwkg. “Due to the extraordinary situation this year the venison market is extremely fragile – demand is much reduced, and there is a carry over of stock from last year now in storage. Furthermore, necessary social distancing measures in processing plants have reduced efficiency and added cost. Yet a normal cull must be taken to keep deer numbers at current levels and prevent environmental impacts.”