Please see below an extract of an email I have received from Scottish Agricultural Colleges. It would be good to give them some good TAS feedback.
It's a bit short notice, so please fire away and I'll pass your comments on to Caroline.
"We want to find out if there are any specific products or services that you or your forum members particularly wish to see provided or developed in Scotland. As you probably know, there are many DEFRA-subsidised courses in England and Wales for smallholders, laboratories that will do worm count yearly packages, advisory and consultancy agencies that will help produce mini-health plans or mini-farm production packages for the small farmer and other useful services. Scotland may have lagged behind a little in support and a services network for smallholders, and we would like to hear your views on which services you would like to see offered. If at any time in the last couple of years you or one of your fellow-members has said “Oh, I wish they did that up here....” please do drop us a line!
Of course, we are also aware that your are providing courses yourself already, and are likely to develop more – it is in our mission statement to support and work with existing rural businesses, and not in competition with them. This includes local vet practices as well – any advisory work etc would need to be done with the blessing and/or at the request of or in conjunction with local vets. We are not interested in treading on anyone else’s toes or edging into the patch of any local rural businesses – we have worked in this way for many years now. This is one of the many reasons that we would be grateful for your input.
There will be a project meeting in around ten days which will discuss whether there is any demand for smallholder support in Scotland. Proposals include, but are not limited to, subsidised diagnostic packages at local laboratories, veterinary or management courses on lambing, sheep keeping/disease, suckler cattle, pigs, sustainable food production, environmentally friendly practices, an advice website run in conjunction with your local vets (providing advice on management and veterinary issues and allowing smallholders to find out whether a vet visit is the best option or whether there are other things that are sensible to try first), online courses and/or mini-qualifications, and last but not least, access to farm business consultants, farm management consultants and veterinarians specifically interested in either small-scale production or ethical and as-organic-as-possible family self-sufficiency. Emphasis would perhaps be more on veterinary issues such as welfare and disease, especially on best-practice management to prevent disease and enhance good welfare. Ground management etc may also be a possibility.
We would emphasise that the SAC are an organisation providing support and consultancy to local vets, and never in competition with these local practices. We would also be aiming to provide support and consultancy to local smallholder’s groups and organisations and to fill any gaps in services which should be provided. Our mission is to work with existing local rural communities and organisations, and as such, we always aim to work with, and not in competition to, already established local course organisers etc.
We really would be grateful for your input – even if the view is that there is nothing you need that is not already available now, it would help us to know what level of demand for support is out there. If you would have a moment to drop us an email, or perhaps to canvass some of your colleagues and forum members on these issues, we would be very grateful.
Many thanks for your time.
Caroline Smith
VIO Perth
SAC"