13 July 2023
On 6 June 2022, funding of £380,000 was approved from the Economic Development Investment Programme (EDIP) to deliver the Increased Agricultural Production (IAP) Project.
The purpose of the project is to undertake infrastructure improvements on the SHG Agricultural Estate. This is being done to ensure the land and building resources are of a standard to allow the estate to significantly contribute to increase commercial and smallholder agricultural production activities. The project is being delivered over two financial years, 2022/23 and 2023/24.
Eight activities were identified to contribute to these improvements. These were:
- Construction of storage units on pastures
- Construction of animal shelters on pastures
- Pastures cleared of invasive and non-native species
- Pastures secured with appropriate fencing
- Upgrade of 0.5km of access track at the Ex Agricultural Development Authority (ADA) Fields
- Installing rabbit proof fencing on 15 acres of land at the Ex ADA Fields
- Construction of a Toilet facility at the Ex ADA Fields
- Refurbishment of Poultry Units at Scotland and Farm Buildings
Over the next three weeks, releases will be published that focus on the progress made on delivering the eight activities listed above. This is an update on the construction of the storage units and animal shelters.
Construction of storage units on pastures
Of SHG held pastures, only two had storage units constructed on site. It was therefore identified that more pastures required adequate storage units to store resources such as tools, equipment, etc. for those using the pasture. By having storage on site, tenants have better access to the required resources. This allows for efficient management of the pastureland, and enables them to respond towards the husbandry needs of the animals in a timely manner, contributing to overall increased production.
The following four pastures therefore had a storage unit constructed on site:
| PASTURE | CONTRACTOR | TOTAL | COMPLETED |
| Thompsons Wood | Fowler’s Construction | £7,277.50 | March 2023 |
| Loma Cowen | Fowler’s Construction | £7,277.50 | March 2023 |
| Lemon Valley Head | Henry’s Building Construction | £6,848.80 | March 2023 |
| Deadwood | S.Doy Construction | £6,183.05 | February 2023 |
Construction of animal shelters on pastures
There were only five pastures that had animal shelters located on site. It was identified that more pastures required adequate shelters for stock to be protected from inclement weather conditions. Evidence suggests that animals tend to thrive better when they are housed in suitable conditions, becoming more productive. The shelters also provide adequate protection for animals when they are unwell, and allow for better management and administration of treatments, again contributing to increased productivity
Therefore, the following three pastures had an animal shelter constructed on site:
| PASTURE | CONTRACTOR | SHELTER TYPE | TOTAL | COMPLETED |
| High Banks | Henry’s Building Construction | Sheep | £5,694.50 | February 2023 |
| Churchyard/Ball Alley | Fowler’s Construction | Sheep | £5,958.00 | March 2023 |
| Deadwood | S.Doy Construction | Cow | £12,415.90 | February 2023 |
All of these works will help to increase economic activities and productivity on the SHG agricultural estate.
Next week, focus will be on pastures cleared of invasive and non-native species and pastures secured with appropriate fencing.
It should be noted that all contracts advertised under this project went out for open procurement and were only advertised locally. This ensured that the tenders reached a wide range of the private-sector businesses.
Photos
SHG
13 July 2023