Karin McGivern Agricultural Support

15/07/2026

All our western isles followers especially need to take five mins to do this.

Researchers are inviting sheep farmers and crofters across Scotland to take part in a short online survey about their experiences of living and farming alongside sea eagles.

Whether your experiences have been positive, negative, somewhere in between, or mixed, they’re keen to hear your views.

By taking part, you'll help improve understanding of sheep producers' experiences, the factors shaping different perspectives, and how current approaches to management and support are working in practice.

The survey takes around 10 minutes, and findings will be shared with those involved in policy design and decision-making, helping to ensure that farmers' and crofters' perspectives are represented.

If you'd like to share your experiences in more detail, you can also volunteer for a short follow-up interview by emailing [email protected]

Complete the survey here: https://qualtricsxmm4kf4t6dc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bQUqo5RkoRn09Uy

[ Help this research gain traction by forwarding this message to anyone you know involved in sheep production in Scotland - the more perspectives they hear, the stronger the research will be.]

11/07/2026

This is heartbreaking.

We spend our lives as custodians of the land. Either farming/crofting or the support services around it and then the very government that will penalise you for something as simple as bad poaching on a wet year are allowing this decimation of the landscape.

This is in the name of progress.

Worse than that

THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE GREEN.

let that sit with you.

550ac of prime agricultural land. Or 323 football pitches (1.5 times ALL professional pitches in Scotland)

For those that don’t know that used to feed dairy cows, rear beef cattle, sheep finished off there, wheat, barley, OSR, potatoes, forage all have been grown/reared across this massive area in the last ten years.

But it’s more than that. It’s 550ac of photosynthesis. Taking CO2 and producing O2. It’s 550ac of green space. Of habitat for birds and mammals and insects and plants and trees.

All DESTROYED in the name of progress.

Scary bit. This is one of three sites in a 30 mile radius. With more and more being put in the wider you go.

It’s time we all spoke up.

It’s battery parks. Its substations. It’s pylons.

It’s Aberdeenshire, it’s Caithness, it’s the western isles, It’s Shetland.

THIS ISNT PROGRESS. ITS GREED. ITS TELLING LIES TO LINE THE POCKETS OF THE FEW.

AND IT IS CERTAINLY NOT MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD. SPEAK OUT AGAINST THIS. OR WHAT IS GOING TO BE LEFT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

08/07/2026

We’re off for a wee summer break.

**Closed now until Monday 20th July.**

If it’s urgent, leave a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can when we’re back at it.

Give us a call or drop us a message.

01/07/2026

The office is officially closing its doors for some holidays from 11th–19th July and we are back on the 20th — refreshed and ready to go.

If you have something that absolutely cannot wait, drop us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Otherwise, we will see you on the other side. Enjoy the summer while it lasts.

🐄 Livestock records still need doing while we are away — don't forget you can log movements on scoteid.com
🌱 Any grant deadlines landing in July? Worth checking now before we head off.

03/06/2026

🌺So I ordered Peony’s from Last week. And .uk managed to royally f**k up delivery. Two day delivery took ten days to arrive.

📦😵They arrived yesterday looking a little worse for wear. But I stripped off the majority of the leaves, cut over two inches off the stems. Filled the vase with ice cold water and two sachets of flower food and put them in. Hoped for the best.

🏆Forty mins later they were springing into life. This morning. Wow! Yes they maybe don’t have leaves but we don’t buy flowers for the leaves.

🧑‍🌾It just goes to show if you buy for a quality small producer you get a product that exceeds expectation against all odds. 🇬🇧

🎉Well done David and team. A brilliant product even after DPD cast their curse!

23/05/2026

Who loves a peony?

I know I do and the season is so short! I’ve just come across Petite Peonys and their flowers are gorgeous!!

Looking through their site I see they do Small peonies. These are ones that don’t make the grade but are still beautiful and would ordinarily become a waste product.

You’re getting a huge 28 stems for £39.95 but more importantly you’re buying
🧑‍🌾 direct from the farmer
🇬🇧from the U.K.
🌱sustainably grown
♻️lowering waste

So if you or someone you know loves a peony. Why not treat them today.

https://www.petitepeonys.co.uk/products/small-peonies?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=785310eee&pr_rec_pid=10773030764881&pr_ref_pid=10723910549841&pr_seq=uniform

14/05/2026

We like to help support you and your business in as many ways as possible.

They say mindfulness is something that we should all try. And breathing exercises are some of the easiest ways to do this.

Give this routine a go. Let us know how you get on.

21/04/2026

Do you have 41 hectares of Region 1 land available that isn’t being claimed for BPS? We're helping a client secure land for BPS as AP Land use. If this sounds like you, give us a call or drop us an email—we'd be happy to discuss the details.

📞 07834 354700
📧 [email protected]

20/04/2026

Do you have 41 hectares of Region 1 land available? We're helping a client secure land for BPS as AP Land use. If this sounds like you, give us a call or drop us an email—we'd be happy to discuss the details.

📞 07834 354700
📧 [email protected]

16/04/2026

**Need assistance with your SAF? I have appointments available next week.**

Caithness farmers — I’ve got limited availability next week for SAF appointments, and for anyone who needs assistance with a staff appointment.

Send me a message and I’ll get you booked in quickly.