[rustyme]

Thought this may interest those of you in Scotland:
 
Dear reader,

Please find below the latest RBST E-Alert.  We believe this item may be of interest to you, or you have selected to receive RBST news and information emails.

Campaign to save Doonies Farm

There will be a public meeting at Thistle Aberdeen Altens Hotel at 7.30pm on Thursday 13th March to discuss the future of Doonies Farm in Aberdeen; as this is a public meeting you are more than welcome to attend.  Please contact Ralph Grantham on 01346 541797 or nescotrbst@aol.com for more information.

Click here for directions http://www.viamichelin.com/b2b2c/gbr/dyn/controller/dlPoiAccess?productId=73153&id=0408

Commenting today on the proposed closure, Peter Titley, Chairman of RBST said:

“Any moves which undermine or threaten agricultural activity in the UK are a matter of concern. Farmers and stockeepers face unparalleled threats at the present time in the face of animal disease, climate change and yet we are in an age when consumer interest in farming and the wider environment is becoming ever more apparent.  The links between our land, the crops and animals which grow upon it and the importance of our agricultural heritage have a deservedly high public profile as governments seek to educate the public in matters of conservation.

It is all the more troubling therefore when we hear of a threat to an establishment such as Doonies Farm in Aberdeen.  This flagship farm has been at the forefront of Aberdeen City Council’s magnificent support of native breeds of farm animals for the best part of thirty years.  The fact that Doonies has been open to of visitors over all those years means that an inestimable amount of education and information has been passed on to thousands of visitors. At the same time, the name of Aberdeen City Council has been held in high esteem by other livestock keepers who have seen the results of the skill and husbandry of Doonies farm staff.

RBST has not yet had an opportunity to assess the specific genetic importance of the bloodlines of the animals currently at Doonies but the fact that the bulk of these are listed under our conservation umbrella is cause enough for us to seek to influence the Council against any precipitate moves - especially with regard to the movement or disposal of livestock at a time of year when many new births are expected. I understand that some 300 head of livestock are currently at Doonies and it would not be satisfactory simply to direct these animals into a general livestock auction - such a move would be to fly in the face of all the past conservation effort of which the City of Aberdeen may be proud and as the Council itself says “...it has [at Doonies] one of the largest collections of rare breed farm animals in Scotland.”  Such a collection is not made up of museum pieces - these creatures are the living reservoir of the genetic materials which provide the foundations and bedrock of the UK’s livestock industry. They have played a vital role in our past and are poised to once again assume a leading role as we move to extensive and traceable models of stock rearing.

The Council of RBST received the news of the proposed closure when it met on 5 March 2008 and has pledged to assist all the parties towards finding a means of offsetting the damage which would be caused the farm’s closure. To this end I shall be in Aberdeen on 13 March to meet RBST members and others in the area who are directly involved.”

Please forward this e-mail to individuals who you think may be interested in receiving RBST E-Alerts.  If you have received this e-mail via a friend or relative and wish to subscribe please e-mail paula@rbst.org.uk stating subscribe in the subject box.  However, if you wish to be removed from future E-Alert mailings please return an e-mail stating unsubscribe in the subject box.

Many thanks
  
Paula Mayfield
Communications Officer
Direct line: 024 7669 8764  
  
RBST (Registered Charity No. 269442)
Stoneleigh Park
Near Kenilworth
Warwickshire CV8 2LG
Tel: 024 7669 6551
www.rbst.org.uk
The RBST is the leading conservation charity working to restore Britain’s native livestock breeds to their rightful place in our countryside. Our work is funded by membership subscriptions, donations and legacies. Our purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the United Kingdom’s native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR).  For more information click here http://www.rbst.org.uk/join_us/membership.php

  
Any opinions or other information in this message that do not relate to the business of RBST shall not be construed as either given or endorsed by it.

The message and any files transmitted with it may contain confidential and/or privileged information intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. Any use of the message or associated files by parties other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received the message in error please delete the material from any computer and notify enquiries@rbst.org.uk.

[Rosemary]

Hi, Russ

Thanks for this - since reading it, I have found an on-line petition to save Doonies Farm. I can't rememebr the link but if you google Doonies Farm it will show - I've forwarded it to members of our Smallholders Association but if anyone woudl like to join the campaign to keep the farm open, please sign the petition.

I've also emailed my MP, my MSP and Richard Lochhead, the Scottish Government's minister for agriculture. The SNP seem to recognise the importance of agriculture in Scotland and in the impact on rural communities, so maybe they will do something. Maybe an email to Alex Salmond, our First Minister is in order, too.

I did look at the web page and noticed that the Farm charges £2 for families to get in - where else do you get a day out for that? Maybe they need to look at their pricing policy!

[rustyme]

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-doonies-farm.html

hello Rosemary,
                  above is the link to all the relevant details of the farm and the petition. I have already signed it . I hope that the petition has some effect and that the farm can continue to carry out it's excellent work. We need as many of this sort of thing as we possibly can have. In this age of close everything, change anything, just for the sake of it .  We are losing our heritage at every turn these days , we must stop this complete and utter abandonment of our Heritage , history , national identity and independance , to be replaced by, new roads , new towns , and a theme park way of life . We may yet be able to pass on a British way of life , but only if we stop successive governments from trying to wipe it out .
   Russ                 

[Townie]

I've signed up 

Here's hoping that Donnies gets saved !

[Rosemary]

Excellent - nothing in the farming press naturally. I think I feel an email to the Scottish Farmer coming on!

[Fluffywelshsheep]

signed   ittoo

[Francis Bacon]

I too have signed.  I really do hope we can all do something to keep this place alive & kicking.  Places like these should be treasured.  In Norfolk where we used to live I regularly used to take our daughter to a farm like Doonies.  She loved feeding the lambs, as did all the other children & she has grown up with the utmost respect for animals & the meat she eats.