Farming: British Wool moves to Selkirk

British Wool (BW) has confirmed the purchase of new premises in Selkirk, which will replace its current depot in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders from the 2023 wool season onwards.

With updated facilities and increased capacity for wool grading and storage, the group said that the move would provide more flexibility for the business and improved service to members. The development follows the sale of the board’s site at Irvine in 2021.

But BW stressed that it would be business as usual for local members delivering wool this season - and there would continue to be no deductions for transport for wool delivered to an approved British Wool collection site.

“Since our restructure in 2021, our Galashiels depot has been handling an increased volume of wool, grading all the wool from southern Scotland and parts of Northumberland,” said Jim Roberston, British Wool chairman - but he said the time was right to modernise the depot operation in the area and to invest in the future of wool grading in the Scottish Borders.

Head of operations, Billy Hewitson, added that for the remainder of the 2022 wool season, local members should continue to deliver wool to the Galashiels depot. Similarly at Irvine, although the intermediate depot premises had been sold, some of the building had been retained to accept wool and service members in that area.

“We will communicate to members in the region when the new Selkirk depot opens for the 2023 wool season, to explain the changes to wool collection arrangements in the area,” Hewitson said.