- Third man in court over bitten ear
- Construction firm in liquidation
- £4m lottery winner was 'going mad'
- Family blasts rally crash decision
- Small firms demand rules overhaul
- Salmond: Independence key to growth
- Comedian Corbett to receive CBE
- Rangers 'will continue as a club'
- Fire service cuts 'will pose risk'
- PM to make case for retaining union
- Implant victim issues scans appeal
- Trial date for murder accused, 13
- US analyst wary of independence bid
- Unemployment rate up by 16,000
- Pilot run for domestic abuse court
- Sillars questions 'devo max' option
- MPs seek 'answers' on independence
- Ferry collides with harbour wall
- Bid to rescue crisis-hit Rangers
- BAA warning on Heathrow hub plans
Food, Drink and Agriculture
Jobs on the line as Heineken unveils £420m cost cuts plan
THE British brewing industry was braced for more job cuts yesterday as Heineken unveiled plans to take another €500 million (£420m) out of costs.
Santander’s £2.5m backing for ex-rugby star Jim Aitken’s grain business
FORMER Scottish rugby captain Jim Aitken has secured £2.5 million in bank funding to expand his grain storage business.
Breeding the best is the best option
Recent research has shown that, for every pound spent in this country on plant breeding, up to £40 is generated in the wider UK economy and, according to Nigel Kerby, who heads Mylnefield Research Services (MRS), investment in plant breeding is critical for any country with ambitions for its agriculture.
Disappointment over final milk supply plan
Tough talking in the European Parliament on the failings in the milk supply chain last year may have raised hopes the politicians would impose stricter conditions on buyers but yesterday, when the final package emerged, there was disappointment for farming unions and Scottish politicians.
Domino’s Pizza to create 1,800 posts
Domino’s Pizza has pledged to create 1,800 jobs in 2012 by rolling out more stores as hunger for its fast food continues to grow.
Jones stands firm on reforms
Scottish farmers expressing concern over aspects of the reform of the common agricultural policy were met with a stonewall reaction by Gwilym Jones, a member of the European Union’s agricultural commissioner’s team.
Landowners net 250% hike in rental income from wind farms
Scottish landowners have enjoyed a 250 per cent hike in rental income from wind farms during the past decade and are set to see further rises this year, research has revealed.
2 commentsTenancies disputes a ‘poison’ claims union chief Miller
The importance of the tenanted sector to Scottish agriculture and the rise in disputes between landlord and farmer was foremost in the mind of National Farmers Union of Scotland president Nigel Miller yesterday.
2 commentsConcern over government targets for planting woodland across Scotland
THE Scottish Government target of planting an additional 100,000 hectares within the next decade could be achieved but it was not helpful to say this would be met by an annual target of 10,000 hectares.
Andrew Arbuckle: Another court review for long-running rent dispute case
LIKE naughty schoolboys who have messed up their homework, the Land Court has been sent back to once again review the rent case involving the farm of Moonzie in Fife.
3 commentsWeetabix investing in factory upgrade
WEETABIX, the manufacturer of the famous cereal, is to invest £20 million in upgrading its UK and North American factories.
Oilseed rape demand boosts growers
A ROSY future for UK growers of oilseed rape, with increasing demand both as biofuel and as vegetable oil, was promised this week by Owen Cligg, trading manager for United Oilseeds, a 3,000 member farmer owned co-operative and one of the big players in the UK oilseed market.
Alan Craig falls to combination
A COMBINATION of tough trading conditions in the red meat sector and the hiring and firing of senior managers appears to have brought about the demise of Alan Craig, pictured, as chief executive of the ANM Group in Inverurie.
Farm lets completed by Buccleuch Estates
After years of contraction, the number of let farms in Scotland might rise a fraction with the announcement that Buccleuch Estates has successfully completed the letting of an extensive range of farm land on the Queensberry Estate in Dumfriesshire.
3 commentsAppeal judges throw Moonzie tenancy case back to Land Court
The Court of Session yesterday asked the Land Court to reconsider its decision on what was reckoned to be a landmark case in farm tenancies – and part of this reconsideration should include a valuation of the level of subsidy going into the farm.
Investor sees the wood for the trees
A PRIVATE investor has bought the Badlieu and Leithope forests in the Borders from a pension fund for more than £10 million.
Bank funds for sawmill expansion
Britain’s biggest sawmilling business has secured an eight-figure funding deal to further develop its site at Fort William.
Licence to thrill: Brewer signs up to Bond deal
DUTCH brewing giant Heineken yesterday unveiled a deal with the producers behind the James Bond movie franchise to promote their latest film, Skyfall.
Minister and union play down £35m EU penalty
Both the Scottish Government and NFU Scotland yesterday played down a £35 million penalty imposed on the government by the European Commission following a 2009 audit of the single farm payment scheme.
1 commentLimousin quality outshines the quantity
IT WAS the turn of Limousin bulls to come under the hammer at Stirling yesterday. There were significantly fewer forward than last year when the clearance rate was poor so Limousin Cattle Society chief executive Iain Kerr was delighted with an average of £5,202 for 75 sold, a rise of £1,445 on February 2011 and a clearance rate of 88 per cent.
Records tumble as bull fetches 15,000gns
Records fell at Stirling yesterday when Aberdeen Angus and Shorthorn bulls achieved their best-ever averages and a Shorthorn bull sold for a record price at auction of 15,000 guineas.
Union hits out at strong Yara results
Strong fourth-quarter figures posted yesterday by international fertiliser giant Yara boosted share dividends – but also drew criticism from the National Farmers Union of Scotland.
Müller seals 93.9% of Wiseman
GERMAN dairy operator Müller yesterday declared that its £280 million offer for East Kilbride-based Robert Wiseman Dairies had turned “unconditional” after securing 93.9 per cent of the Scottish milk maker’s shares.
Alyn Smith calls for limit on ‘unproductive’ farm support pay-outs
THE release at the weekend of details showing the top farm subsidy recipients in Scotland, with three individuals or companies each taking more than £1 million in taxpayers’ money, has highlighted the failings of the current support system, according to one of Scotland’s MEPs.
1 commentJacobite raises the standard for Aberdeen Angus breeders
THE February bull sales got under way at Stirling yesterday with the show of Aberdeen Angus and Shorthorns. The large numbers forward in the spring mean that the traditional four days of shows and sales is split into two separate weeks, with native breeds and Limousin taking place in the next couple of days and, in two weeks time, Simmental and Charolais bulls will be sold.
Vestey moves to snap up top Scottish butcher in ‘£30m deal’
A PRIVATE food conglomerate has bought a Scottish butcher with a Royal Warrant for a price understood to be in the region of £30 million.
3 commentsFordyce Maxwell: Sadly, it appears the CAP still fits for our aspiring farmers
A WEEK today, 13 February, two young-ish farmers will lead a debate at NFU Scotland’s annual meeting. The subject will be what help young farmers and potential new entrants need to secure a future in food and farming.
4 commentsScottish Salmon Company to cast net wider with £40m expansion plan
A FISH producer will make a splash today when it announces plans to open ten farms along Scotland’s west coast, creating 100 jobs and pumping in £40 million worth of investment.
1 comment
Adelphi looking for new investors for distillery
WHISKY bottler Adelphi is looking to bring in fresh investment as it presses ahead with plans to build a woodchip-powered distillery on the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula in the West Highlands.
Scotland leads the way on farm co-operation says James Graham
THE United Nations has designated 2012 as the International Year of Co-operatives and, according to James Graham, the chief executive of SAOS, the umbrella organisation for Scottish co-ops, the co-operatives in this country “stand comparison with any in the rest of the world”.
Duncan Millar wins Ed Rainy Brown award
PERTHSHIRE farmer Ian Duncan Millar was this week awarded the Ed Rainy Brown Memorial Award for his services to the Scottish farming industry.
Unilever: 2012 a ‘difficult’ year
Unilever, the consumer goods group behind brands such as Hellmann’s and Knorr, yesterday warned that 2012 would be a difficult year as growth in emerging markets slows and demand in Europe and North America stays flat at best.
Beef producers say no to increased optimism
THIS week’s farm income figures may have looked positive and encouraging but beef producers yesterday opted out of any optimism.
1 commentCall for radical innovation down on the farm
After the best part of a decade where productivity from Scottish farms has either levelled off or dropped, a leading economist has called for a radical change to policies that would encourage a culture of innovation and suggested that the trigger for change might be a reduction in public subsidies.
2 commentsCheaper brands boost Imperial
Smokers trading down to cheaper cigarettes and rolling tobacco in the UK have boosted the owner of the Gauloises, Lambert & Butler and Davidoff tobacco brands.
1 commentSoaring input costs offset a 13.9 rise in Scottish production
Output from Scottish farms rose 13.9 per cent, or £338 million last year to produce a total of £2,760 million worth of grain, potatoes, beef, lamb and all the other foods grown on farms in this country.
Farmers markets warned of retail threat
THERE are more than 200 farm shops in Scotland and rising, but yesterday the sector was warned that the major retailers might muscle in on the territory.
Starbucks reveals plans for move into India
IT MAY have made its name as a coffee chain but now Starbucks is heading for one of the world’s largest tea producers after yesterday unveiling plans to enter the Indian market.
Optimism is dawning down on the farm
Later today, the Scottish Government will produce their estimates of farm incomes last year. Giving a strong indicator that these will be very positive, a farm survey released yesterday showed farming prosperity rising to a 16-year high.
Forestry Commission to offer two ‘starter units’
TWO farms in Fife owned by the National Forest Estate will be offered to new entrants to farming to lease as part of a new pilot initiative launched by Forestry Commission Scotland.
2 commentsMP turns up heat over Heineken pensions deal
Politicians have increased the pressure on Dutch brewer Heineken following allegations that it broke a pledge to pensioners of Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) in the wake of its takeover of the Edinburgh-based com–pany in 2008.
Interview: Niall MacArthur, founder of EAT
EXPANDING in Scotland should be good for business, but for EAT founder Niall MacArthur it is also something of a homecoming.
Flagship shared campus opens
The link between the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) and the University of the West of Scotland took a major step forward yesterday with the official launch of the shared £81 million Ayr Campus.
Farmhouse B&B cashes in on staycations
Long recognised as a useful extra source of income for some farms, the provision of bed and breakfast or self catering premises has been given a boost with the current recession hitting overseas travel.
Auctioneer drops hammer on rising profits
LIVESTOCK auctioneer John Swan has been herded back into the black after tight cost controls and a pick-up in business.
Pub chains toast strong sales surge
PUB chains Marston’s and Fuller’s reported strong sales growth yesterday offering more evidence of cash-strapped Britons seeking solace in their local boozer.
Lees tastes bumper pay-out after HMRC loses £500,000 tax case
MACAROON bar maker Lee’s was enjoying the sweet taste of success last night after winning a claim against the taxman that dates back nearly 40 years.
Marston’s sales given festive lift
Pedigree and Hobgoblin brewer Marston’s has joined rival pub chains in reporting strong sales over Christmas and New Year.
Beef and milk sectors lead English income rise
ALTHOUGH estimated Scottish farm income figures are not due to be released until next week, comparative figures from England published yesterday show substantial rises, particularly in the beef and milk sectors.
Westminster plan to drive food exports
THERE was positive news for the farming industry yesterday with promises by the UK government that they would work to remove bans on British meat from countries such as China.
1 comment- Rangers run into the ground as furious HRMC battles to claw back tax
- Broken Rangers: Club signals intention to go into administration
- Scottish independence: David Cameron set to snub Alex Salmond’s separation talks bid
- Rangers blame HMRC for driving club to brink of administration
- Rangers: ‘Crisis will soon be over and Rangers FC will survive’
- Devo-max merely a dodgy back-up plan to save SNP, says Jim Sillars
- Scottish independence: No breakthrough in talks between Alex Salmond and Michael Moore
- Scottish independence: David Cameron set to snub Alex Salmond’s separation talks bid
- The Rumour Mill: Wednesday’s football news and gossip
- The Rumour Mill: Tuesday’s football news and gossip
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Weather for Edinburgh
Thursday 16 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 5 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: South west
