• Butchers hope for Bank Holiday bonus

    SCOTTISH BUTCHERS are gearing up for a busy bank holiday barbecue weekend – despite weather forecasts ranging from sunshine to snow!

  • Red meat levy rage

    ATTEMPTS TO retrieve red meat levy paid out on Scottish-reared livestock slaughtered south of the border have been blocked by English ministers, prompting an angry outburst from their Scottish counterpart Richard Lochhead.

  • Ulster fodder aid success

    AN EMERGENCY scheme to bolster the supply of livestock fodder in Northern Ireland had an immediate impact after its introduction last weekend – so much so that the Province administration has already dropped part of the incentive to importers.

  • August wait for weather aid

    SCOTTISH FARMERS hit by extreme weather applying for a share of the Scottish Government's emergency £6million aid fund will have to wait until August to get it.

  • Land Reform report pleases no-one

    A MUCH-ANTICIPATED report into Scottish land reform has been met with some not-at-all unexpected criticism from both sides of the land ownership debate.

  • Islay rent review update

    PROPERTY CONSULTANTS CKD Galbraith have reported no outstanding rent reviews on Islay Estates due at Whitsun this year.

  • Hammer and tongs

    THERE HAS been a 70% rise in female farriers working in the UK, a trend spearheaded by champion farrier, Sarah-Mary Brown (pictured), who has already scooped a haul of prizes and made an Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers.

  • Three Lions

    FARMERS' SONS Tom Baird, Finlay Hay and Duncan Clow have been working at the grape harvest in Western Australia, putting them in the ideal spot to follow the Rugby Lions anniversary tour there next month.

  • Blackface theft– reward offered

    FORTY BLACKFACE ewes have been stolen from a Peebles farm – and the farmer is now offering a reward to anyone who has information which leads to the thieves' conviction.

  • Search for calves snatched in Caithness

    CAITHNESS FARMER Ian Sinclair, of Clyth Mains, by Lybster, has appealed for information following the theft of 18 very young calves stolen from his farm sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

  • SBV vaccine approved

    BOVILIS SBV, the first vaccine specifically targeting the Schmallenberg virus in cattle and sheep, has been granted marketing approval and will be available to UK farmers 'within weeks'.

  • CAP reform deal may be delayed

    HOPES OF a CAP reform deal by the end of June were reportedly hanging in the balance this week, with a 'huge gulf' remaining between Europe's farm ministers and the European Commission on a number of issues, writes Douglas MacSkimming.

  • Support Lady Shear!

    NEXT FRIDAY the main sale ring at Craig Wilson Auction Mart, Newton Stewart, will be buzzing with the hum of clipping machines, lively music and ten lassies getting to work – shearing sheep in an eight hour charity marathon.

  • Early LFA for Ulster farmers

    MORE THAN 13,000 Northern Irish farmers have received early payments totalling £22.5million under the Less Favoured Areas Compensatory Allowances scheme.

  • Spud award up for grabs

    POTATO GROWERS here is your chance – the Potato Council is seeking nominations for this year's British potato industry award.

  • Milk quotas 'by the back door'?

    MOVES TO introduce new milk supply control measures after the old EU milk quota regime is scrapped in 2015 have been rejected by UK farming leaders.

  • Arla milk price approaches 32ppl

    MILK PRODUCERS with Arla Milk Link have been given a boost, with a 1.7 p increase, effective from May 27, taking their standard litre price to 31.91p.

  • The case for co-ops

    CO-OPS CAN help farmers survive industry crises, and guide the re-shaping of businesses to be more resilient to future change.

  • Fighting crop disease, naturally

    AS PUBLIC concern over pesticide use grows, pushed into the spotlight by the row over neonicotinoids and bees, Scotland's Rural College and the James Hutton Institute have launched new research into boosting plants' natural defences.

  • Farming blamed for wildlife decline

    SCOTLAND'S NATURE is in trouble and changes in farming practices could be to blame.