We Hae Meat, shared recently how they have managed to reduce carbon emissions by almost 110%, despite Brexit, Covid and the ongoing energy crisis.

The Ayrshire-based family company conducts business by supplying major supermarket chains with high-quality sausages and burgers from its farm and factory.

The business also includes four traditional farms and even the cattle gain from a greener approach as waste cardboard is shredded for bedding.

In addition to their announcements, We Hae Meat shared how they have installed a biomass plant on site and solar panels, saving £750,000 from its annual energy costs. 

The company first created a carbon management plan in 2015 with support from environmental consultants Tomson Consultancy, reducing its emissions by nearly 90% within the first year alone.

It has since gone on to install LEDs and a wastewater treatment system. 

Further savings have come from switching its delivery fleet to hybrid plug-in vans charged by the company’s own combined heat and power electric generation, saving 66% on fuel costs, and using excess heat from on-site heat generation to replace tumble dryers.

These have all resulted in the business now being carbon neutral.

Alex Paton, fourth-generation farmer and co-founder of the business with his wife Carlyn, said: “Without doubt, we could have closed our doors in the last two years if we hadn’t made our operations much more sustainable.

“The increase in energy prices, on the back of Brexit and Covid, would have been impossible for us to absorb.

“We’ve seen other businesses in our sector struggling where we’ve been able to use the cost savings as a basis for growth.”

He added: “Brexit has affected competition for labour and maybe an inflationary effect on materials, and clearly Covid was disruptive for virtually every business sector.

“The increase in energy prices could have been catastrophic. We started on our net zero journey eight years ago because it was the right thing to do but now we’re really seeing the business benefits too.”

We Hae Meat’s achievements have resulted in being recognised for sustainability with the Co-Op in Scotland Awards.

Most recently, they won at the Scotland Food and Drink Excellence awards in 2022 for Sustainability Achievements

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The latest data from the Knowledge Bank revealed that 89% of shoppers would like to buy more food and drink produced in Scotland when shopping for food to eat at home.

Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight is an annual opportunity for individuals and businesses to champion all that Scotland’s larder has to offer.

The Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight campaign, which is now in its 14th year, takes place from Saturday 2 to Saturday 16 September.

The event celebrates the producers, manufacturers, retailers, foodservice, hospitality, Regional Food Groups and Food Tourism Ambassadors that work to get Scottish produce on shelves and tables throughout the year.

MSP and Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands Mairi Gougeon said: “It is no secret that Scotland produces some of the finest quality food and drink in the world.

“Consumers at home and increasingly around the globe know that every element of the production process is handled with the utmost care and expertise. 

“Food & Drink Fortnight is an excellent opportunity to celebrate all that Scotland has to offer and I hope that it encourages more and more people to discover what is available right here on their own doorstep,” Mairi added.

Over the next two weeks, Scotland Food & Drink is working closely with its Regional Food Groups and Regional Food Ambassadors to promote a line-up of regional events.

The events aim to spotlight produce from across Scotland that is stocked everywhere from shops, restaurants, cafes and bars to delis and markets.

Fiona Richmond, Head of Regional Food at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “Scottish food and drink is world-renowned.

“The country is home to some of the best quality produce in the market with innovative and determined individuals working hard to make our sector such a success story.

“The Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight offers the whole industry the opportunity to shine a spotlight on some of the nation’s best producers, and celebrate the achievements of our home-grown brands.

“I’d encourage everyone to use the Fortnight as an opportunity to explore the fantastic producers on their own doorsteps,” Fiona added.

Anybody can get involved in Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight by joining the celebrations on social media using hashtags #ScotFoodFort23 and #DiscoverWhatsOnYourDoorstep.

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Launched in January 2023, hosts Hannah Lloyd and Charlotte Gilfillan aim to shine a light on the lives of inspiring women working and living in rural Scotland.

Each episode, Women in Wellies are joined by guests who share their stories, experiences and lessons, including the personal and professional challenges they have faced and overcome.

The new sponsorship agreement marks a milestone for the podcast, enhancing its mission to amplify the voices of remarkable women in the rural sector.

The fascinating stories shared by the Women in Wellies has nurtured a growing fanbase among Scotland’s rural community.

Episodes so far have featured women from who work in farming, forestry, country sports and veterinary, all of whom give an honest and authentic insight into the women behind the wellies.

One of the most popular features on the podcast is a question Hannah and Charlotte ask all their guests: What advice they would give to the next generation of rural women in Scotland?

Guests have included partner in A Milne & Son farming enterprise, Alison Milne MBE, wildlife photographer, writer and author Linda Mellor, and Chloe Forbes, a country sports enthusiast living in rural Perthshire.

Sponsors Henderson Loggie have specialised in advising farmers and the managers of landed estates and rural businesses across Scotland for over 100 years.

Lucy Crow, head of Henderson Loggie’s Landed Estates and Rural Business team said: “Charlotte and Hannah have struck a chord within our community.

“Women in Wellies gives a voice to the women shaping rural business life, in an engaging format which offers inspiration and support to others whose livelihoods are rooted in rural Scotland.  

Women in Wellies co-founder Hannah Lloyd commented: “We have been overwhelmed by the response we have had to the podcast so far and are delighted a national firm like Henderson Loggie wants to support the valuable contributions women are making across the rural sector.’’

Women in Wellies co-founder Charlotte Gilfillan added: “Securing support from Henderson Loggie is a significant achievement for us.

“Women in Wellies grew from our shared love of rural Scotland and passion for inspiring and supporting the next generation. 

“The stories and themes not only resonate with a broad spectrum of listeners but also raise awareness of some important causes and initiatives.”

Women in Wellies can be accessed on all major streaming platforms, with episodes released fortnightly.

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MSP Mairi McAllan visited Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and found out more about the SRUC-led Digital Dairy Chain, as well as the organisation’s work with NatureScot to deliver a unique peatland restoration course.

On a tour of the Barony Campus near Dumfries, Ms McAllan saw first-hand SRUC’s investment in sustainable strategies, including its N2 Unit that uses revolutionary technology to eliminate methane and ammonia emissions from slurry production.

The infrastructure is now in place, with the N2 Unit – purchased with support from South of Scotland Enterprise (SoSE) – expected to be fitted later this year.

Ms McAllan was also shown how SRUC is studying on-farm hydrogen generation utilising renewable sources of energy and waste water, and how the College optimises land management practices by blending its forestry, woodland and environmental expertise.

The MSP met with with senior staff at SRUC, including Professor Wayne Powell (Principal and Chief Executive) Provost Jamie Newbold (Deputy Principal) and Mary Thomson (Vice-Principal – Skills and Lifelong Learning).

Ms McAllan said: “Tackling the twin crises of climate change and nature loss is the collective fight of our lifetime, and the lifetime of generations to come.

“The research and development being undertaken by staff and students at Scotland’s Rural College will be vital in helping our agriculture sector develop sustainable and nature positive farming practices.”

Dr Martin Valenti, Director of Net Zero, Nature & Entrepreneurship at SoSE, commented: “SRUC’s N2 Unit is such an innovative move for the agriculture sector, which we believe can be another step towards Scotland’s Just Transition to Net Zero.”

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The Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution held the annual event between Fort Augustus and Fort William.

A total of 25 sponsored teams tackled a demanding 90 kilometre route, making their way by walking, running, biking and kayaking.

The money raised will help the RSABI provide emotional, practical and financial support to people in Scottish agriculture.

The annual Great Glen Challenge is designed to raise awareness of the work of RSABI, as well as promote commitment and teamwork amongst the teams.

RSABI provides confidential phone or web chat support to those facing difficulties in the agricultural sector.

The event, sponsored by legal advisors to the rural sector, Gillespie Macandrew, saw teams participate in 49 kilometers of mountain biking, 6 kilometers of kayaking, an 18 kilometer walk and a 17 kilometer run.

The winning team was represented by Scottish Woodlands, with last year’s winners, Shannoch, taking second place.

Carol McLaren, Chief Executive of RSABI said: “The 2023 Great Glen Challenge really was an exceptional event, with an outstanding effort made by people from all different parts of our industry.

“We are so grateful to our sponsors and to everyone who took part, or came along to support on the day”. 

Alan White, partner in the land and rural business team at Gillespie Macandrew, commented: “As longstanding advisors to the sector, we are all too familiar with the challenges faced by those working in agriculture, and just how invaluable the work of the RSABI is in providing support. 

“Our teams thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity to spend time with their peers in glorious surroundings.”

So far, a total of nearly £49,000 has been raised by those taking part.

Other participating teams included Bank of Scotland, Bell Ingram, the Crofting Commission, Royal Bank of Scotland, SP Energy Networks and Virgin Money.

RSABI is encouraging supporters to dig deep in a bid to reach its target over the coming week.

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The presence of beavers can increase land biodiversity, and evidence is already being seen by farmers who are currently living alongside them.  

In 2021 the Scottish Government announced a policy change to increase the relocation of beavers across Scotland, supporting the expansion of their population.  

Beavers have been reintroduced to Scotland over the last two decades after being hunted to extinction in the 16th century.

Now, the FAS have produced a series of case study videos featuring farmers discussing their experiences of implementing beaver management options.

While some areas are unsuitable for beavers due to their landscape, or agricultural value, there are ideal places throughout Scotland where their presence will not cause serious concern to humans, infrastructure, or wildlife.  

Through the resources on the FAS website, farmers can learn about beavers and their potential benefits or adverse impacts on land.

Farmers can learn about what is involved in the beaver relocation process, as well as access interviews with stakeholders such as NatureScot, Beaver Trust, and The Cairngorms National Park who discuss their plans to relocate beavers to the National Park.  

Rachel Smillie from SAC Consulting, who helped produce the resources, said: “Beavers are getting a lot of press at the moment and I’m glad farmers now have these resources, so they know what their options are and where to find more information.

“When producing the case study videos, we visited farmers who have beavers or have seen some beaver activity on their land. It was great to see first-hand how they are living alongside them, and the management actions they use to mitigate unwanted impacts.

“The videos showcase that when beavers are in suitable landscapes, minimal to no intervention is needed as their activity is contained to the wetlands”.

“The videos are also a good example of showing the options available to farmers when they turn up in unsuitable areas, and the value of NatureScot’s Beaver Mitigation Scheme in providing support.”

All information on the FAS website aligns with NatureScot’s beaver mitigation scheme – links to further advice can be found within the resources.  

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The support comes from the Royal Countryside Fund (RCF), who will again be working in partnership with RSABI to deliver a series of workshops.

These workshops will provide free business training skills, and one-to-one support to farming families in Scotland.

As part of the partnership agreement, the RCF is awarding a £15,000 grant to RSABI to assist the work the charity does to support people in Scottish agriculture.

Livestock producers in the three areas can apply now to take part in the programme which is open to dairy and livestock family farm businesses.

Since 2016 the Farm Resilience Programme has supported around 1,400 farming families to improve their business performance and make real changes on farms.

A recent independent evaluation of the programme found it delivers significant economic, social, and environmental benefits for farmers.

58% of farmers reported increased profitability and 73% improving their business skills.

Doug Bell, who is working with RSABI to manage the programme in Scotland, said the Farm Resilience Programme represents a fantastic opportunity for farming families:

“Those who take part will gain insight into their own businesses and benefit from a wide range of expert consultants, brought in to deliver the workshops.

“The value of the programme was again emphasised by the overwhelmingly positive feedback from last years’ participants”.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The RCF, said: “The RCF was delighted to be working in partnership with RSABI on delivering the Farm Resilience Programme in Scotland in 2023/24.

“We are very much looking forward to this year’s programme getting underway.

“The workshops cover areas such as benchmarking and improving on-farm efficiencies to reduce costs, as well as succession planning, integrating environmental management and business planning.

“The programme has shown to increase the confidence of farming families in their decision-making which enables their farm enterprises to become more adaptable and helps build their resilience to change.”

Carol McLaren, Chief Executive of RSABI, said the charity was looking forward to working with the RCF again this year, following the successful delivery of the programme in Ullapool, Stranraer and Caithness over the past year.

He said: “With agriculture facing particular challenges at the moment and a time of change ahead, this free-of-charge programme offers farming families a very valuable opportunity to really focus on their businesses and identify where savings can be made and profitability improved.

“A wider benefit is that the programme pulls farmers together to share experiences and suggestions.”

Coordinators are currently being sought for the three designated areas for the programme, which will shortly be open for applications before the workshops take place during autumn, winter and early spring.

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Sutherland-based GMG Energy hope that the new employee will enhance and grow sustainable trading in the vast yet sparsely populated, Scottish Highlands.

The biomass supplier, which contributes significantly to the circular economy in the Highlands and the Northern Isles, has secured the services of a new Sawmill Manager at its eco-friendly plant in the Strath of Halladale in Sutherland.

New recruit, Vasile Damian, is 30 and a joiner by trade, originally from Romania but has lived in Thurso for the last 17 years.

He will oversee the six full-time employees and production of more than 2k tonnes of timber a year in the £2m turnover company, reporting to owner Malcolm Morrison.

He will also be responsible for the successful operation of a massive solar array on the roof of its production facility which recently was installed at a cost of £100k.

This was implemented to reduce GMG’s dependence on expensive and polluting diesel generators for its energy-intensive activities.

As well as the solar array, GMG has invested £150k in state-of-the-art sawmill equipment which takes its larger timber and processes it into posts, rail, cladding and purlins, or structural roof members.

It has also recently spent in the region of £100k on timber treatment equipment which will open up new markets among construction companies and farm businesses which require treated and stress-tested products.

The resource-rich company last year completed strategic purchase of a substantial swathe of forest in the far north-east to protect future supply and increase its resilience to market shocks.

The forest contains 21k tonnes of productive timber, very roughly equivalent to 90k tree-sized logs.

As a major plank of its business model, the company is committed to replacing every log of timber that it uses, and plants 10k new trees a year, which grow to maturity in 35 years.

It far exceeded this target in 2021, planting in the region of 20k trees.

The former foreman at Caithness- and Inverness-based windows, doors and kit homes specialist Norscot, said: “I am pleased to be joining GMG at a time when Malcolm is looking to upgrade and extend our product range.

“With our solar panels in place, our sawmill moving to optimum capacity, such that we will shortly see sawdust being used for brickettes, and our bio mass machine becoming fully functional, we will soon see the business becoming as self-sufficient as possible.

“That is the ultimate goal.

“We have invested recently also in new machinery to make more upmarket consumer-friendly wood products such as garden offices, cabins, pods and staircases which will use pine wood.

“Currently, we are only able to use spruce for outside products like fencing, posts and pallets.

“No one else in our locality is doing what we are doing so there is a lot of opportunity for the business.

“Our goal is to make the Caithness region aware of us and to opt for our locally manufactured, rather than shipped-in, products.

“We have just launched our online shop too, so it’s certainly an exciting time to be working at GMG Energy.”

Malcolm Morrison, Director of GMG Energy, said: “Everyone in the team is delighted that we have been able to attract a manager of such proven calibre.

“Vasile is very knowledgeable; he is attuned to the peculiarities of the area and he is very intuitive.

“At a time when we have been investing so substantially, he is taking on a great responsibility and we are sure he will rise to the challenge of making the company even greener and more environmentally sensitive than it already is.

“Vasile will be instrumental in driving towards our stated aim of ending fossil fuel consumption and becoming reliant on solar for 100% of our energy needs.”

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Dr Matthew Agarwala will formally receive the award at the ceremony on 28 August.

Dr Agarwala leads the Bennett Institute’s Wealth Economy project at the University of Cambridge and is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Tobin Center for Economic Policy at Yale University.

He has shown strong support for SRUC’s ambition to become an enterprise university at the heart of the natural economy and his work in measuring and delivering sustainability, wellbeing and productivity align with the institution’s values.

Dr Agarwala has shown strong support for SRUC’s ambition to become an enterprise university at the heart of the natural economy and his work in measuring and delivering sustainability, wellbeing and productivity align with the institution’s values.

He said: “It is an honour and a privilege to join SRUC as an Honorary Professor.

“From economics to philosophy, engineering, the arts and the natural sciences, Scotland has always expanded the frontier of human knowledge.

“With this honorary professorship, I’ll get to see first-hand how SRUC’s students, faculty and alumni continue this tradition, and support them in delivering a sustainable and prosperous economy.”

Three Honorary Fellowships will also be awarded to retired Chief Veterinary Officer Professor Charles Milne, former Chair of NatureScot Dr Mike Cantlay and Civil Service Commissioner Professor Paul Gray.

Professor Milne, former Chief Veterinary Officer for Scotland and more recently Victoria in Australia, has notable scientific expertise and knowledge of policy development in the field of animal health, food safety and animal welfare.

Dr Cantlay has recently completed his term as Chair of NatureScot, the body responsible for the conservation of Scotland’s natural heritage and management of almost 1 per cent of the country’s landmass.

Professor Gray has vast experience of advising on complex and politically contested issues. He has worked extensively with both the academic and executive leadership teams within SRUC on the challenges associated with change during times of uncertainty.

Meanwhile Peter Kettlewell, a former SRUC lecturer and internationally recognised expert in livestock transport, has been made an Emeritus Fellow.

Professor Wayne Powell, Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC, said: “We are delighted to welcome Matthew as an Honorary Professor and Charles, Mike and Paul as Honorary Fellows.

“Between them they have a variety of skills which will be of vital importance to SRUC as we progress on our journey to becoming an enterprise university at the heart of the natural economy and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with them over the next few years.”

“I would also like to offer Peter my congratulations on being named as an Emeritus Fellow. He was a dedicated lecturer who always went above and beyond the requirements of the job and was highly respected by staff and students alike.”

Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) was established in 2012 through the merger of the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) with Barony, Elmwood and Oatridge Colleges.

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By providing locally sourced alternative protein sources and ingredients for feeds, the locally grown algae has many sustainable uses.

The primary use of this algae would be for feed, as an alternative to soy and fishmeal protein, but to reduce waste, the by-products can be used in human food as a pigment.

Using algae as an alternative to soy will reduce the carbon footprint of feed, as it reduces food miles and reliance on imports.

Experts in animal nutrition from Biosimetrics and Abrimar, both based in Edinburgh, are working alongside researchers at the Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS).

They aim to explore the optimum conditions required for growing algae as a novel feed ingredient.

Funded by the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), the results of the project could help to unlock new Scottish supply chains for natural and sustainable feeds.

Previous studies have demonstrated the potential of algae as a high-quality, nutritious alternative to imported soy and fishmeal protein.

However, the cost and complexity of scaling up to mass production has meant the process has not yet been developed further.

For this project, species were specifically selected for their commercial viability, to minimise potential waste and maximise value.

By taking a collaborative approach to growing and harvesting, the consortium has devised a new strategy where multiple sectors will use different components of the algae crop for different purposes.

While some elements of algae would go into fish and livestock feeds, other co-products – which may previously have been deemed waste – could be used as pigments for a range of food and drink or consumer products.

The researchers have tested a range of organisms supplied by the Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP), Europe’s largest collection of living strains from freshwater and marine environments.

With this, they aim to determine which species could unlock the greatest feed value for monogastric animals, fish and humans by measuring their speed of growth, protein yield and digestibility.

Algae has a similar nutritional profile to soy, eggs, fishmeal and other commonly used protein sources.

However, whilst algae can be grown locally, the UK imports around 3.5 million tonnes of soybean equivalents per year mostly from South America, with approximately three-quarters used for livestock and fish feed.

Dr Virgilio Ambriz-Vilchis, head of technical services at BioSimetrics, said: “Different species of algae have already shown huge potential in terms of the nutritional benefits for aquaculture and agriculture.

“However, transferring the process from the lab to full-scale production is not as straightforward as it may seem.

“As well as the technical hurdles, we also need to optimise the process so that it makes sense economically.

“Algae is a high volume and comparatively low-value product, so we have evaluated 10 separate species and different growing conditions to see which achieves the best results.

“Next, we’re keen to find partners from other adjacent sectors to work with and explore the collaborative opportunity where we each get what we need from different parts of the plant and make the entire process more circular.”

Liz Fletcher, director of business engagement at IBioIC, added: “The results of this project could lead to exciting new opportunities for feed supply chains based here in Scotland that reduce our reliance on imported ingredients from overseas.

“In some cases, one industry’s waste is another’s gold, so it would be great to see different sectors working together to extract value from one core raw material in a shared and sustainable fashion.”

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