Farmers and crofters urged to get their SAF and BES applications in as soon as possible. With just one week to go until the deadline of midnight on Wednesday 15 June 2016, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing is urging farmers and crofters not to leave it until the last minute to submit their Single Application Form - which is required to receive Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments - and their Beef Efficiency Scheme (BES) claim, which also closes on 15 June.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts, (June, 8th) sold 520 sheep of all classes. Lambs (148) sold to £65 gross for Suffolks from 3 Kirktonmuir, Bunchrew.
Design work for the A9 dualling scheme has stepped up a gear, with another significant contract award, worth close to a million pounds, to Soil Engineering Geoservices Ltd. Ground Investigation work on the 8.5 km Tomatin to Moy section of the A9 is expected to begin next month and last for around seven weeks.
Professor Sheila Rowan MBE to advise on science's impact. Award winning Professor Sheila Rowan MBE will be Scotland's next Chief Scientific Adviser, Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced today during a visit to the University of Glasgow.
The number of households in Scotland has continued to increase, though the rate of growth is smaller than before the economic downturn. There were 2.43 million households in 2015, according to figures published today by National Records of Scotland (NRS) in 'Estimates of Households and Dwellings in Scotland, 2015'.
Funding will enable communities to buy out buildings and land. Communities across Scotland will now receive support to become land or buildings owners thanks to a £350,000 fund.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, is to keep up the pressure on the Scottish Government to bring much-needed improvements to the Far North Line. As Vice-President of Friends of the Far North Line, she will be attending its AGM next Friday (June 17th) at Tain railway station at its Platform 1864 newly-opened restaurant.
The Electoral Commission is urging voters who are not already registered to vote to make an application before midnight on Thursday 9 June 2016. The Commission called this morning for the Government to consider options for introducing legislation as soon as possible that would extend the deadline, after problems affected the Government's registration website last (Tuesday) night.
Through bold climate commitments, 228 cities around the world are taking the lead on climate action. Washington, D.C.-----Over 200 cities have set greenhouse gas reduction goals or targets.
The number of Modern Apprentices (MA) in training in 2015/16 has increased to 25,818, exceeding the Scottish Government's annual target for the 5th year in a row, Employability Minister Jamie Hepburn said today. Figures published today by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) show that 196,626 people in Scotland have started an MA since 2007.
Those people who are complacent about their savings should consider the pensions crises occurring at BHS and Tata Steel as a "wake-up call", deVere Group's CEO Nigel Green said. Mr Green's comments come at a time when BHS finds itself on the verge of collapse and with huge pension burdens.
FloWTurb research project is set to investigate the combined effect of tidal currents, gravity waves, and ambient flow turbulence on the dynamic response of tidal energy converter. The project, led by the University of Edinburgh, has received £745,000 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) - the UK government agency for funding research and training in engineering and the physical sciences.
Officers from The Highland Council's Environmental Health Team are warning food businesses that frozen and chilled foods must be handled, prepared and transported within safe temperatures, and that failure to meet food safety requirements, may result in officers detaining or seize the food. This advice follows a recent incident when intelligence from Police Scotland led the Council's Environmental Health Service to inspect a van that was transporting a large consignment of raw meat kebabs, poultry and dairy products to food businesses in Inverness without the use of a freezer compartment.
People heading out in their car to enjoy a picnic at a local beauty spot during National Picnic Week (which runs from 11th - 19th June) should make sure they lock valuable items away and out of sight of opportunist thieves warns insurer NFU Mutual. * Theft of items from vehicles rose 16% between 2014 and 2015.
Non-Executive Members of the Board of Highlands and Islands Enterprise announced. The Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity, Fergus Ewing MP, today announced the appointment of Amanda Bryan, Ailsa Gray, Dr Robert McIntosh and Belinda Oldfield, as Non-Executive Members of the Board of Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
The 2016 ‘Meet the Buyer' event is taking place in Dunblane on 22 June 2016. The one-day event is part of the Nuclear Supply Chain project, aimed at encouraging Scottish companies to move into the nuclear business, and companies are urged to register early.
More people will be encouraged to pick up the recycling habit this September. Cabinet Secretary for Environment Roseanna Cunningham has announced a week long effort to get Scotland recycling.
The latest State of the Economy report has been published today by Scotland's Chief Economist Dr Gary Gillespie. Dr Gillespie's report highlights: Annual growth of 1.9 per cent in 2015 with independent forecasters predicting continued growth through 2016 and 2017.
The Vice Chair of Highland Council's Community Services Cllr Richard Greene and Badenoch and Strathspey Ward Member Cllr Jaci Douglas recently viewed a Jetpatcher in operation at Grantown on Spey. Following trials with neighbouring Local Authorities the Council's Community Services Committee in February this year, approved the purchase of a Jetpatcher with £150,000 from the capital programme.
Week Commencing 30th May 2016 Energy & Business Services: · A further contract announcement this week regarding the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm development off the Caithness coast. Scottish company Sgurr Energy have been awarded a three year construction monitoring contract.