New board members appointed

The Society’s 2021 AGM in November saw two new board members take up seats representing members from their regions. In the West of Scotland region Robert Laird, Cambwell, has replaced Andy Barr, Parkhouse, while in South West England Angus Howie has taken on the vacancy created by Graham Hill’s departure from the board.

In addition, Peter Mitchell, Avon Vale, has been appointed honorary treasurer following Andy Barr’s retirement from the board, with vice chairman Jeff Aiken, Procters, taking up the position of the Society’s representative on the SRUC Premium Sheep and Goat Health Schemes advisory board.

Born and brought up on a busy mixed arable and livestock farm in Perthshire, Angus Howie studied agriculture at college in Edinburgh and spent the first 20 years of his working life at home while developing and expanding a UK road haulage business. A lifelong enthusiast of all types of pure-bred livestock, he established pedigree flocks of Suffolk and Charollais sheep, while introducing a Millhouse Texel enterprise in 2009. “Sheer character and expression, drew me towards the Texel,” said Angus. “They are such a versatile, multi-functional breed and so easy to work with.”

Angus Howie Millhouse - HNL

South West of England – Area 9 With a love of Shetland ponies and Clydesdale horses, he and his wife Sue, were able to expand their pedigree flocks with the purchase of a larger, 300-acre unit in Okehampton, Devon, in 2011. This also allowed for the expansion of their commercial sheep and suckler cow enterprises.

Having sold his road haulage business in 2015, Angus has also been able to enjoy his musical youth more now too – a pastime that enabled him to travel the world in his brothers’ Scottish Dance Band for 15 years playing the piano. But not one to look back and think about the should have or could haves, Angus has always preferred to look forward with a glass more than half full…

Dad once said to me: “The ability to read the evening paper in the morning would be great!”

Having been involved with Texel since their introduction to the UK Robert Laird is clear about the breed’s qualities and benefits to the UK sheep sector, stating that the breed’s excellent carcass qualities always have been and still are superior to UK native breeds

Alongside the family’s pedigree flock run a flock of 350 MV-accredited commercial ewes and 60 suckler cows including a few pedigree Angus which he says are easy fleshed just like the Texel.

Robert Laird Cambwell – LTC

Central and West of Scotland – Area 2 Outside of farming Robert enjoys playing pool for his local pub team each week and cites Heptavac P and the telehandler as the two piece of farming technology he can’t live without.

And when it comes to rams of the past that he’d like to use again Robert says Annan Newsflash would be the one he’d go back to. And with a focus on producing commercially sound sheep that are perfectly suited to the pedigree and commercial breeder alike, Robert says if he could change one thing in his Texel life it would have been to keep breeding for positive fat when others suggested negative fat was the right way to go.