Latest Press Releases

Download a copy of the latest press releases, prepared and issued by the JCMandCo team. If you would like more information please get in touch via hello@janecraigie.com

Scotland’s marts generated £605m last year

Scotland’s marts generated £605m last year

The Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS) has released its 2022 throughput figures gathered from its members, who operate auction markets in Scotland. Alan Hutcheon, IAAS President, said: “Markets recorded total throughput of 2.76m head of...

read more
Sarah no longer on her Todd

Sarah no longer on her Todd

Journalist Sarah Todd is to join the ranks of agrifood and rural sector communications agency Jane Craigie Marketing (JCM), whose clients include BASF, ABP, QMS and the Oxford Farming Conference. Sarah has been an award-winning writer for over 30 years; learning her...

read more
ABP to strengthen ties with Harper Adams University

ABP to strengthen ties with Harper Adams University

ABP Food Group has announced that it has joined the Harper Adams School of Sustainable Food and Farming Delivery Partner Network. The school is at the forefront of the development of sustainable farming methods and also in exploring methods to help British farmers...

read more
Thousands of pupils tucking in thanks to Tasty QMS initiative

Thousands of pupils tucking in thanks to Tasty QMS initiative

Quality Meat Scotland’s (QMS) ‘Tasty Little Weeks’ initiative is back, with schools receiving £180 worth of vouchers to spend with their local Scotch-assured butchers, as well as a bank of resources packed with ideas and tools to inspire children and teachers. In...

read more
Oxford Farming Conference reveals speakers for OFC24

Oxford Farming Conference reveals speakers for OFC24

Tickets have gone on sale for the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) and a list of headline speakers has been released, including environmentalist and financier Ben Goldsmith, chef, broadcaster and writer Romy Gill MBE, farmer and musician Andy Cato, and Chair of...

read more
IAAS showcases importance of EID tagging to Scotland Office

IAAS showcases importance of EID tagging to Scotland Office

The new President of the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers (IAAS) met with Under Secretary of State for Scotland, John Lamont MP, at ANM marts at Thainstone to demonstrate how high frequency EID electronic tagging could revolutionise the livestock industry.  ...

read more
AgriScot Silage Competition Under Starters Orders

AgriScot Silage Competition Under Starters Orders

Entries have opened for the 22nd annual AgriScot Silage Competition. The competition which has attracted more than 3000 entries since it began, is the longest running silage competition in Scotland. It is a reflection of the high regard the contest is held in, that...

read more
French visitors given insight into Scottish farming

French visitors given insight into Scottish farming

More than 40 high-level executives from France’s agricultural, agro-industrial and agro-food sectors gained an insight into Scotland’s agricultural and meat processing systems on a visit to a Tayside farm. The chief executives, presidents and others are members of...

read more
150 lambs needed to reach Lamb Bank target

150 lambs needed to reach Lamb Bank target

Over 24,000 school children are signed up to Lamb for St Andrew’s Day, the initiative from the industry that aims to encourage more people to cook, eat and enjoy lamb as part of the Patron Saint’s celebrations.   To inspire the next generation, Scotland’s Institute...

read more
Sweetener for winter feeding to counter silage shortage

Sweetener for winter feeding to counter silage shortage

After a summer of challenging weather for silage making, beef and dairy farmers are looking for alternatives for winter feed to ensure optimal performance. Adding liquid molasses to straw and homegrown cereals will be a cost-effective and productive solution this...

read more
QMS puts pork at the fore for Porktober

QMS puts pork at the fore for Porktober

Scotland’s pork industry will be celebrated, in a month-long focus with Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) supporting Scottish Craft Butchers’ ‘Porktober’ campaign, to promote the nutritional value of Specially Selected Pork to consumers. The consumer-facing campaign will...

read more
Lamb prices hold firm as we move into autumn.

Lamb prices hold firm as we move into autumn.

According to the latest market commentary from Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), a reduced supply of finished lambs across GB, rising export volumes and lower imports from abroad have been supporting the lamb price in Scotland.  Given indications of a smaller lamb crop...

read more
Combining audits streamlines the business of arable farming

Combining audits streamlines the business of arable farming

Scottish Quality Crops (SQC) growers are benefiting from streamlined auditing following the appointment of new certification body, Food Integrity Assurance (FIA).   FIA, which was set up by the cooperative support hub, SAOS, in 2022 to offer devolved, Scotland-centric...

read more
Luximo® – one year on

Luximo® – one year on

Despite last year’s challenging autumn, Luximo® gave growers more black-grass control in comparison to the market standard and will be a key building block in herbicide programmes for the season ahead. Reviewing Luximo®’s first year in a recent webinar, BASF revealed...

read more
Resetting fields riddled with resistant ryegrass

Resetting fields riddled with resistant ryegrass

When BASF Agronomy Manager, Colin Mountford-Smith heard about the ryegrass challenge Rob and Peter Barlow were facing, he wanted to help. The father and son team had recently taken on 160ha infested with the weed and while they had made great progress with two years...

read more
Variable grass quality calls for closer eye on calf nutrition

Variable grass quality calls for closer eye on calf nutrition

A dry start to the summer followed by a wet July means farmers in the North-East need to take a close look at calf nutrition in the next few months, says Steven Eddie, Ruminant Nutritionist at East Coast Viners.   “With an exceptionally dry start to the summer, grass...

read more
Scotland Meat the Market workshop announced

Scotland Meat the Market workshop announced

Beef and lamb farmers are invited to a series of Scottish Meat the Market workshops, with the first event focusing on beef.    These events, organised by Quality Meat Scotland, aim to guide beef and lamb producers, offering industry knowledge about target...

read more
New president for Institute of Auctioneers

New president for Institute of Auctioneers

A new president has been elected to the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS). Alan Hutcheon, who has over 40 years’ experience in the industry as an auctioneer and in livestock market management, assumes the role from Donald Young at the end of...

read more
Fruitful AI tool launches to market following £2.8m backing

Fruitful AI tool launches to market following £2.8m backing

A cutting-edge new digital forecasting tool to maximise planning and profitability for soft fruit growers will launch to market in 2024 thanks to £2.8m capital raised from private investors, Ceres Agritech and Innovate UK through its investor partnership programme.  ...

read more
Harvest Update: The ups and downs of farming in 2023

Harvest Update: The ups and downs of farming in 2023

Throughout this year, farmers have battled with the weather. Depending on the location, autumn was either too dry and grass weeds didn’t chit, or too wet to travel. In spring, wet weather dominated the early part of the season, only to turn dry when crops needed a...

read more
Farming family advocate for agriculture and win industry award

Farming family advocate for agriculture and win industry award

After graduating as an accountant, Claire Pollock returned to the family farm to support her family and future development of their business.  The Pollock family always enjoyed farming and plans to keep the business viable led to changes in production methods, aiming...

read more
IAAS Lamb Bank open for business again

IAAS Lamb Bank open for business again

With the ongoing success of the Lamb for St Andrew’s Day campaign run by the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS), auctioneers are once again calling on farmers to support the project that has seen over 65,000 school children cook and eat Scotch...

read more
BASF’s Project Fortress for people, planet & profit

BASF’s Project Fortress for people, planet & profit

Just days after the world’s hottest day on record, BASF revealed interim results  for Project Fortress – an on-farm five-year trial exploring strategies to increase resilience to the impacts and challenges of climate change. Project Fortress is hosted at The Grange...

read more
Donate a tonne for Doddie at the Turriff Show

Donate a tonne for Doddie at the Turriff Show

Doddie Weir’s legacy as a campaigner for a better understanding of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) put the disease and fundraising into vital research firmly into the spotlight. Doddie founded the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation charity – the five coming for the number of his...

read more
New survey demonstrates the value of break crops

New survey demonstrates the value of break crops

A recent BASF survey of break crop growers across the UK  demonstrated that growers continue to appreciate the impact these crops have on their rotations and are willing to invest in them. Oilseed rape, the most widely grown break crop Oilseed rape (OSR) was the most...

read more
Mentoring matters to Ringlink’s pre-apprenticeship programme

Mentoring matters to Ringlink’s pre-apprenticeship programme

Ringlink’s pre-apprenticeship for 16–21-year-olds has been remarkably successful at attracting new recruits, with almost half of the trainees having no previous agricultural background. The Land-based Pre-apprenticeship is a vocational pathway for school leavers or...

read more
Join us at the EQ Food and Drink Pavilion Turriff Show 2023

Join us at the EQ Food and Drink Pavilion Turriff Show 2023

Turriff Show’s wholesome EQ Food and Drink pavilion, sponsored by EQ Chartered Accountants, will be the heart to some of the finest Scottish local food and drink producers in the region. This year the pavilion has been extended to welcome over 40 local exhibitors...

read more
Livestock entries strong for the return of Turriff Show 2023

Livestock entries strong for the return of Turriff Show 2023

Organisers of Scotland’s largest two-day agricultural event have confirmed high numbers of livestock entries for the Turriff Show’s 1,554 classes which range from best cattle, sheep, and horses, through to dogs, rabbits and cavies.  Turriff Show, which will take place...

read more
Back to basics: crop rotations key to soil group success

Back to basics: crop rotations key to soil group success

Crop rotations have proved critical to improving soil structure and reducing weed burden for five northeast farmers, who have come to the end of a five-year knowledge exchange programme, looking at enhancing farm soils.   The Soil Regenerative Agriculture Group (SRAG)...

read more
Regan family acquires Lawrence J Betts

Regan family acquires Lawrence J Betts

Laurence J Betts Ltd (LJ Betts), grower of premium salads since 1930, has been acquired by the Regan family who are the owners of Hugh Lowe Farms Ltd, a neighbouring berry growing business in Kent, and of Blaise Plants Ltd, a plant propagator. Stephen Betts will step...

read more
Change of leadership team for BASF UK and Ireland

Change of leadership team for BASF UK and Ireland

Joel Johnson has been appointed Agricultural Solutions Business Director for the UK and Ireland. The role was formally managed by Neil Kay, who was promoted to Vice President for Agricultural Solutions for EMEA West earlier this year. Joel joined BASF in 2006 as an...

read more
Groundswell Festival drives progressive change in agriculture

Groundswell Festival drives progressive change in agriculture

The UK’s only two-day on-farm regenerative agriculture conference, Groundswell, sold out for another year, attracting over 6500 attendees, with 75% either directly farming or involved in a farming enterprise.    With over 100 sessions and 200 speakers, from across the...

read more
Nature’s got this

Nature’s got this

When it comes to creating a healthy ecosystem rich in biodiversity with fully functioning soils, nature nails it. So why do we fight her? When I first started farming, I had a ‘low capital approach’. Simply put, I couldn’t afford a to buy a farm and spend lots of...

read more
A new approach to regenerating a family estate

A new approach to regenerating a family estate

Last year I headed to Groundswell Festival, searching for tips on how to sustain and regenerate the family farm I’ve been involved in for 40 years. I’d known of this popular regenerative agricultural festival for years but Hertfordshire is a long way from Fife. When I...

read more
Wheels start to turn for air ambulance fundraiser

Wheels start to turn for air ambulance fundraiser

Family-run animal feed mill and nutrition specialists, East Coast Viners, has pledged to raise £10,000 for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) in the charity’s 10th year. This will kickstart at the agricultural shows throughout the summer, including the Royal...

read more
ABP acquires Scotbeef sites

ABP acquires Scotbeef sites

ABP has today announced the acquisition of the Bridge of Allan abattoir and Queenslie meat packing plant in Scotland from Scotbeef. The two facilities will now become part of the company’s UK meat division which also includes an existing processing facility in Perth,...

read more
Redesign to Regenerate

Redesign to Regenerate

The principles of redesigning agricultural systems to regenerate soils, biodiversity and the bottom line are the same no matter where you are in the world.  It is how we interpret and apply them which changes, and this is what Groundswell is all about – exploring the...

read more
Making soils better makes business better

Making soils better makes business better

Since the Second World War, we’ve bought in a bag and killed in a field to produce as much as possible from an acre of land. Although still core to what we grow, we’ve side-lined the soil in the race, and it’s costing us.   Going back to whole systems at Balbirnie...

read more
Revystar® XE, now available for use in sugar beet

Revystar® XE, now available for use in sugar beet

Revystar® XE (Revysol® + Xemium®), the proven and reliable cereal fungicide from BASF is now available, through label extension, for use in sugar beet. A welcome new addition to the sugar beet fungicide armoury, Revystar® XE gives excellent long-lasting control of the...

read more
Season Update: Combinable crops turn a corner

Season Update: Combinable crops turn a corner

It’s been a difficult spring but as warm weather settles in across the UK, combinable crops have turned a corner. We catch up with three growers to find out how their crops are looking: Edward Vipond, Suffolk Farm manager at Troston Farms in Suffolk, Edward Vipond, is...

read more
Livestock can help keep farms in good heart

Livestock can help keep farms in good heart

In recent years, an increasing number of arable farmers from the East Coast of Scotland who have not kept livestock for some time, have returned to our markets to purchase store cattle to help restore soil health on their farms. With the price of fertiliser rocketing...

read more
Turriff Show all set to showcase north-east farming and food

Turriff Show all set to showcase north-east farming and food

The gates open again for the 2023 Turriff Show on Sunday 30 to Monday 31 July 2023. The event has become renowned throughout the UK as a vibrant show that celebrates the best of the region’s farming, food and heritage. The Show is Scotland’s largest two-day...

read more
Pioneering new R&D project for Perthshire snack business

Pioneering new R&D project for Perthshire snack business

A new project to enhance food safety in potato crisp production has started between Abertay University and Perthshire-based Taylors Snacks. Focusing on minimising acrylamide, a natural chemical compound that can form in starchy foods when cooked at high temperatures,...

read more