Sunday 19 January 2014

HAND-OVER OF 2013 SGA ATV

Fantastic to meet Steve McCombe from the Isle of Harris today, winner of the 2013 SGA Honda ATV.Crofter Steve traveled all the way from Hushinish with his trailer to accept his prize in Perth from SGA Development, Education and Training Manager George Macdonald and John Thomson from JMT Manufacturing Ltd.Lifelong SGA supporter John, as he has done for many years, subsidised the bike along with Honda UK; support which is hugely appreciated by the SGA.There were some fears Steve wouldn't manage to get the ATV in his trailer but we managed to squeeze it in for the long journey back to the Outer Hebrides.You can read the full story of how the SGA ATV will be put to very good use in Harris, in the next edition of Scottish Gamekeeper, due out in February 2014. To see pics of the hand-over today, visit our Facebook page

Wednesday 8 January 2014

SGA TO SEEK CLARIFICATION OVER LAND REFORM JOBS

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association, which represents 5300 gamekeepers, ghillies, wildlife managers and rangers, is to seek clarification from Environment Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, on what land reform will mean for the jobs of gamekeepers and other skilled rural workers. Speaking ahead of a BBC documentary on land ownership (screened Wed 8th Jan), Scottish Gamekeepers Association Chairman Alex Hogg said: “Rural workers such as gamekeepers, ghillies and their families will be deeply worried at what the Scottish government’s land reform drive, as indicated by the Environment Minister Paul Wheelhouse, will mean for their livelihoods. “It seems that the voice and the jobs of working keepers, who are at the sharp end of the skilled management of Scotland’s countryside, are being forgotten in this debate. “We will be seeking clarification from the Environment Minister on what the Scottish Government, and the leading SNP administration’s intentions are, when it comes to safeguarding the jobs of those drawn into what seems to be an ideological issue.”