Oban Times From Our Files - 16.1.25

TWENTY FIVE YEAR AGO

Thursday January 20, 2000

New bid in fight to save scallop industry

Pressure is increasing on the Scottish executive to review its scallop ban in a bid to rescue a sector threatened with redundancies and bankruptcy. 

Urgent calls are being made for the government to adopt a similar position to Ireland where scallops are taken from their shells, the parts affected by amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) discarded and unaffected portions sold.

‘This is a common sense approach,’ said Doug McLeod, chairman of the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers. ‘This would allow both scallop fishermen to earn some income although we could not get the premium for selling the in-shell product.

‘It would mean the Executive would have to put in place extra monitoring and testing regimes, but it would allow the industry to survive.

Mr McLeod urged the government to act to save the industry which has struggled to survive since the ban was first imposed in May 1999. 

‘It seems the Irish Government has made a reasonable compromise between public safety and safeguarding their industry, while our government seems unable to act to save a significant number of jobs, many of them in remote rural areas where little alternative employment exists.’

SNP MSP Duncan Hamilton said the discrepancy between the countries’ policies was a ‘demoralising indication’ of the lack of support the government is giving the industry. 

‘The Scottish industry is on its knees due to the Executive’s refusal to either partially lift the ban or to allow compensation for those most severely hit,’ he said.

‘Scallop farmers and fishermen have the right to know why such a variation in policy exists between two neighbouring countries.’

Jamie McGrigor, Conservative MSP, said: ‘Literally hundreds of jobs hang in the balance thanks to the Executive’s illogical and draconian measure.’

SEVENTY FIVE YEARS AGO

Thursday January 16, 1975

Forestry under fire over Mull expansion plans

Island farmers are concerned over the Forestry Commission’s plans to plant some of the richer land on Mull.

And at a meeting last week of the Mull Development Committee it was suggested that the commission should use its powers of compulsory purchase to acquire poorer land from unwilling owners.

The proposal came from Mr John Angus MacDonald, an NFU representative on the committee, when he spoke during a discussion on the Commission’s decision to plant An Tuim Farm in North Mull. Mr MacDonald said compulsory acquisition would be better than the continued planting of good farms.

The committee had invited Mr John Ogilvie, the commission’s district officer to explain policy.

The result was a discussion that Mr Ogilvie later acknowledged to have been ‘much more serious than I had anticipated.’ Mr Ogilvie explained that fencing of An Tuim was due to commence next year, and planting within two years of that.

‘If, however, alternative land becomes available, such as Crannich Farm in the Killiechronan Estate then we would defer the proposal.’

He described the Commission’s work in Mull as ‘a very substantial operation’. There was a workforce of 50-55 men for which work could only be guaranteed if planting continued steadily. 

Therefore the Commission needed a pool of at least 5,000 acres held in reserve in order to plan ahead. ‘Only once the land we want has been cleared for forestry he be Department of Agriculture do we put in a bid for it,’ he said. ‘We operate in the open market entirely. We mustn’t go above the market price just to get a piece of land.’

The committee’s chairman, Major Raymond Nelson, said that they would like to know exactly what the Commission’s target in land acquisition was.

‘Then we could understand it, and maybe advise. If we knew where we stood, we could feel happier.’

Mr MacDonald said that 50 per cent of Mull was of no use to anyone, ‘So we have nothing much left and the best of that is only class 4 soil anyway.’

He added: ‘Every farm that is taken over means one less voice to speak in local polities here in Mull. I feel it’s the duty of this committee to say how much land should be planted here in Mull. We have seen Langamull, An Tuim and Scoor - all good farms - taken over one after the other, while poorer land which would grow trees is lying idle.

‘To me as a man involved in agriculture, planting An Tuim is practically criminal. Here in Mull the Forestry Commission has led in the open market. If they had never come to Mull land would have remained at its agricultural value.’

Mr Ogilvie agreed that the Highland Board’s report on Mull had advised against planting Scoor and An Tuim and had suggested alternatives.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO

Saturday January 17, 1925

Oban Town Council

A meeting of the Oban Town Council was held in the Council Chamber, Municipal Buildings, Oban, on Monday evening.

Provost R. Mitchell presided, and there were also present Bailies A. U. MacArthur and J. Hutton and Councillors D. MD. Skinner, A. Black, H. C. McKillop, A. MacAlister, J. Maclachlan and D. Livingstone, with Mr A. S. Black, Town Clerk; Mr J. W. N. Black, Town Clerk Depute, and Mr D. Galloway, Burgh Surveyor and Sanitary Inspector.

The Water Committee reported that at a meeting held on December 6 last they accepted the offer of Messrs D. Mackay & Company, ironmongers, for the supply of 900 feet of ‘Rob Roy’ hose and other requirements for the Fire Brigade. 

The committee also reported that at a meeting on the 7th there was submitted a list of the voluntary workers who rendered assistance at the Queen’s Hotel fire, prepared by the firemaster, and it was agreed that a letter appreciatory of their services be sent to each of the parties.

It was reported that the dues earned at the North Pier for the month of November (exclusive of Messrs MacBrayne’s) amounted to £36 3s 4d as compared with £32 6s 8d for the corresponding month of 1923.

It was reported that the dues earned at the South Pier for November amounted to £2 1sh 7d as compared with £4 15s ld for the corresponding month of 1923.