Conservation Matters

Woodside Farmhouse is situated in an elevated south facing position. The living room on the first floor takes advantage of the views towards the river Nith, Glencaple and to the Solway Firth. The farmhouse as currently configured has two reception rooms, three bedrooms (one with walk-in wardrobe), family bathroom, shower room, kitchen, utility room, separate store room and office.

Whilst the property does require modernisation throughout, it offers spacious accommodation which could be easily adapted to suit modern tastes.

The extensive steading buildings are a mixture of modern and traditional construction and are suitable for a variety of purposes. The land is currently grazed on a seasonal grazing licence. There are no leases presently on the land, and it is available to purchase with vacant possession. The sale is divided into three lots, offering the potential to acquire a more sizeable landholding if desired.

To the side and front of the farmhouse is a good size garden which is mainly laid to lawn with a decking area and mature shrubbery.

There are currently plans for an afforestation project around the property. Draft plans will be available on request and potential purchasers will be offered the opportunity to comment on the consultation relating to the project.

The property is sold with a prohibition on the purchaser objecting to any planting proposals on the adjoining and neighbouring land. For more information contact Galbraith.

Woodside Farm is for sale through Galbraith in three lots as follows: Lot 1 – Woodside farmhouse, farm steading and land which measures in total 22.89 acres (9.26 hectares), including the farm steading and farmhouse. Offers over £550,000. Lot 2 - 37.86 acres (15.32 hectares) Offers over £225,000. Lot 3 - 5.98 acres (2.42 hectares) Offers over £50,000.

Important that our land management sector’s ability to use snares is retained

Ross MacLeod, Head of Policy, Scotland, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust

Fox predation can have significant local impacts on livestock and endangered ground-nesting birds and hares. However, current political activity in Scotland could severely reduce the ability to control fox numbers, including a review into the potential ban on the use of snares.

The use of snares is a contentious topic, but modern humane cable restraints as they are now termed are far removed from the crude, cruel and indiscriminate snares of the past. Welfare aspects must be front and centre of all predator control, backed by operator registration and accreditation.

The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has done a huge amount of work on improvements to snares including safety stop positioning, double swivels and breakaway sections that considerably reduce welfare risk and capture of non-target species such as deer and badgers. Research, development and operator training is ongoing.

The Trust’s professional advisors work hard to ensure that all legal aspects are adhered to, that snare operators understand their responsibilities, that what they use is fully humane and that it conforms to current animal welfare legislation. These requirements were introduced in the Wildlife and Natural Environment (WANE) Act in 2011 and have ensured that Scotland has the most stringent restrictions on snaring in the UK. As part of the legislation, 5-year reviews show a decreasing number of incidents in use of illegal snares and illegal snaring in Scotland. We know that cases investigated by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service point towards deliberate use of snares by untrained users rather than recklessness by trained users.

Further constraints placed on predator control intended to support ground-nesting birds, hares and livestock will erode the ability to manage both for conservation and economic reasons and, once enacted, legislation in the arena of wildlife management will be challenging if not impossible to reverse.

The Scottish Government has indicated that a flexible management approach is needed for management of our natural environment and with biodiversity currently in crisis, we question whether this is the right time to be closing off any options that might aid its recovery. GWCT has undertaken to work with stakeholders across the farming and land management sectors to ensure that all options remain available and fully compliant with welfare requirements whilst continuing to provide for conservation and economic good.

The latest GWCT film on the design and use of humane cable restraints is available at: https://www.gwct.org.uk/ blogs/news/2022/ september/video-what-is-ahumane-cable-restraint/