Rural Britain is a wonderful assortment of farms, estates, hamlets, villages, forests and moors, lochs and valleys. Our stunning scenery, close communities and wonderful rural businesses provide an idyllic lifestyle for many, but rural life can also throw up some pretty unique challenges.
The Rural Scene (the Scene & Herd rural blog and news updates) looks at what’s new, what’s relevant, what’s tasty, what’s fun and what’s challenging about life in the Great British Countryside. We offer an insider insight into rural Britain, highlighting some of the exceptional people, businesses and innovations we believe that everybody should know about.
Are you worried about rising costs of fertiliser? Then now might be the perfect time to convert to organic farming and remove this worry. Artificial nitrogen is not required in organic farming, with organic farming working in a natural way to protect soils and biodiversity with fewer artificial inputs. The Scottish Government has made a manifesto promise to support the growth of organic farming in Scotland, and there are funding provisions to support organic conversion and maintenance in the AECS Scheme.
READ MOREWe hope this finds you well and tucking into some Easter eggs, hot cross buns or the last of some Scotch lamb (we like these recipes for leftover lamb). The Scene & Herd team have been kept busy juggling family life with lambing and sowing - and of course, helping rural businesses be seen and heard.
READ MOREBorn Mucky? This Farming Life? The Farmers' County Showdown? Which are your favourite rural tv shows? Since it was first broadcast in 1988, BBC One's flagship rural affairs series Countryfile remains the highest-rated factual programme on British television. Three decades later, the new kid on the rural block is Clarkson's Farm, featuring a year in the life of Britain's most unlikely farmer, Jeremy Clarkson set against a backdrop of unhelpful weather, unruly animals and an unexpected pandemic. The rise of unscripted entertainment in recent years has been staggering - our own OnFARM episodes rank in the top 2% of global podcasts - and whatever the reason for our ongoing love affair with the land and the people who make their living there, rural programmes look set to continue.
READ MOREHow can more younger farmers get involved in shaping Scotland’s future agricultural policy? What more can be done to tackle rural housing problems, improve diversity and mental health in rural communities, support new entrants, and a host of other issues? This episode is a chat between 4 members of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers and the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon MSP.
READ MOREFrom humble beginnings in 1968, selling eggs and cattle from the family farm to their local butcher, John Scott Meat has evolved into a successful family business with a reputation for supplying the highest quality Scottish Beef and Lamb directly to independent butchers, Smithfield market and high-end restaurants across the entire length of the UK. From their processing facilities in Paisley, John Scott Meat currently process 15,000 cattle and 16,000 lambs a year and, with a team of in-house qualified artisan butchers, are uniquely positioned to be able to both select and prepare individual carcasses to meet the exacting requirements of each client. This be-spoke butchery service differentiates John Scott Meat from similar processers selling into the commercial supermarket trade and has resulted in a loyal following in the butchery and service trades where quality and consistency are valued above all.
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Anna Davies: Email: anna@sceneandherdpr.co.uk
Ross (Monty) Montague: Email: monty@sceneandherdpr.co.uk
Company Registration Number: SC448325. VAT Registration Number: 162173427