Crofting

is an international industry standard of practice that audits and approves a manufacturer’s production and management processes, and also requires they make no claims for their products in promotion or advertising that are not clear, accurate and substantiated, so that customers can have full confidence when buying.

Straw bedding traditionally used in lambing pens is a common source of contamination by pathogens and naturally occurring harmful substances, and damp conditions are ideal for bacterial reproduction. In recent years, farmers have recognised the need to look at new ways of effectively managing disease spread and reducing antibiotic use to increase efficiency and profitability. The switch from straw to Stockmax pine shavings in lambing pens has helped a growing number of farmers do just that.

Stockmax is made using 100% Scots Pine timber, which has natural antibacterial properties. Scientific research studies undertaken in Scandinavia and Germany have shown Scots Pine is unique among softwoods in eradicating many strains of harmful bacteria including E. Coli and E. Faecium and preventing their regeneration.

The shavings are also dried at sterilising temperatures to eliminate the presence of unwanted bacteria and spores. Minimising external sources of contaminants in turn reduces the challenge on the immune system and keeps lambs healthier overall.

For Tim Smalley, Managing Director at Bedmax which produces Stockmax, NOPS accreditation is a milestone in the bedding company’s 21-year commitment to excellence. “Producing a bedding product for farmers that is going to help them reduce disease, and also reduce antibiotic use, has been a priority since we began Stockmax production.”

For more information on Stockmax, or to find your nearest stockist, visit: bedmaxshavings. com/Stockmax

The ‘goose war’ is taken to the minister

By Patrick Krause, Chief Executive, Scottish Crofting Federation

The issue of the lack of government support to reduce damage caused by geese to biodiversity and crofting was taken to the Minister for Environment, Mairi McAllan, by the Scottish Crofting Federation.

The type of machair cultivation and cropping carried out on Uist has high biodiversity value and, with the exception of Tiree on a smaller scale, is almost unique. This is one of the few sanctuaries for traditional crop varieties to seed, as well as rare wild plant, bird and insect life to flourish. Large quantities of storm-cast seaweed are heaped on foreshores up and down the islands ready to be spread and ploughed into the sandy soil of the machair, not only providing fertiliser and soil binder, but also trapping carbon into the soil. And, as you may know, maintaining and improving soil health as well as increasing biodiversity, have been major themes discussed at COP26 in Glasgow.

The ever-increasing numbers of resident greylag geese pillage traditional corn seed as it grows and will destroy standing crops if almost round the clock surveillance is not kept. This seed cannot be replaced from external sources and we need to ripen and harvest at least some of it for the following year. Cattle usually graze the machair, increasing biodiversity, but grass is being eaten or totally spoiled by grazing geese.

The Uist Local Goose Management Group and Scottish Crofting Federation have complained incessantly about this menace and sought help to cope. SNH used to fund a very successful ‘Adaptive Management’ scheme but the funding diminished and this has now ceased.

It is not just the crofters who have a stake in this. It is also the conservation bodies, the Government, indeed all of us, who stand to benefit from protecting the biodiversity machair cultivation provides. In view of discussions that have taken place in Glasgow it is hard to believe that the trivial amount of funding needed to protect biodiversity from the geese has been cut off. Is all the exclaiming of how important biodiversity is, just empty words?