The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Might veganism help to prevent another pandemic?
Elspeth glances around and lowers her voice. “Did Cal say anything about his father coming over?
Sir, – My knowledge of viruses and epidemiology is limited to what little I have been able to glean from three or four books so it is scant in other words!
Consequently, I understand that any suggestions I offer as to how we might reduce the likelihood of future pandemics stand open to correction.
One observation I do feel qualified to make, though, is that our all-too-often barbaric treatment of animals in factory farms, wet markets etcetera – and the despoiling of places like the Amazon rainforest – frequently creates the ideal conditions for viruses to mutate and become zoonotic.
My view is that if lots more of us were vegetarian or vegan there would be less chance of another pandemic.
Many readers will no doubt think this is a misguided point of view.
But I do feel it is a debate we need to have.
Alan Woodcock. Osborne Place, Dundee.
“Occasionally, when passing, we call into the Abbey Church in Coupar Angus,” emails James C Smith of Perth. “My grandparents
and other family members are interred in the graveyard.
“Grandad was James C Smith, ex-level crossing keeper at Stormont Crossing. My grandparents retired to Causewayend and their daughters (my aunts Margaret and Georgina) after them into the 1980s.
“The churchyard is always impressive and everything is kept in good order. This week was no different but when we arrived on Tuesday there was a nice surprise for us.
“Fresh flowers had been left by the gravestone, probably within the past two weeks. After almost 40 years I didn’t really imagine there was anyone left to do that. It would be great if they could make contact.”
If you would like to contact James, please get in touch with Craigie in the first instance.
Episode 74
At the Scoull Hotel, Daisy sits outside at one of the picnic tables with Hector’s lead tied to the table leg so that he won’t bother other customers. Mrs Cameron is behind the bar, chatting to her daughter-in-law, who is serving a bevy of yachtsmen and visitors to the campsite in the field behind the hotel.
“Go back and sit down. I’ll bring a tray out to you,” Elspeth Cameron says. She’s looking slightly flushed with excitement and she clearly has news of some kind.
When she brings out Daisy’s late lunch, Hector greets her like a long-lost relative. “I see you’ve borrowed Cal’s dog!”
“I had no choice. He was foisted on me. But to be honest, I’m glad of the company.”
“You can bring him into the bar, you know. We’re dog-friendly here.”
Talented lad
“It’s nice to sit out while the weather’s good.” Daisy realises that she’s ravenous and falls on her sandwich and coffee with enthusiasm. Elspeth Cameron has brought out her own drink as well, a tall spritzer. “Do you mind if I join you?”
“Please do. I’ve only had the dog for company since yesterday. He’s lovely but it’s nice to talk to a human being. I’ve started sorting things out.”
“Well, if you need help, just say.” “Don’t you have enough to do?” “Yes, but your place is more interesting. You could have a garage sale.”
“I could have several and I probably will when I get things organised. I could do it in the old sheds at the front of the house.” “So where’s Cal? Is he in Glasgow?” “No, I don’t think so. He said he had a restoration job to do down at Carraig. He’s working on an old Scots dresser.” “He’s a talented lad, that one.”
“Is he? I wouldn’t know.”
“He did a couple of pieces of furniture for us. Made a good job of them and didn’t overcharge. Not like some.” She glances around and lowers her voice. “Did he say anything about his father coming over?” “His father? No. Not at all.”
“Have you ever met him, Galbraith?”
“Not to my knowledge. I’ve seen pictures of him online and in the press. Why?”
“It’s just – he’s here. Arrived on the first ferry of the afternoon. He’s upstairs.” Her voice sinks almost to a whisper.
William
“In the hotel? Why is he staying hotel and not down at the cottage?”
“He always does. Well, he rarely never comes here at all now. But when he does, he books a room here.”
“Maybe he thinks the small.”
“He used to come over when Cal and Catty were young. But even then not very much. It was Fiona who brought the kids to Garve for the summer. I’m told he came when they were courting, though. That was before we had the hotel. He did quite a bit of painting here back then.”
“Cal doesn’t seem to rate his new work.” “Cal doesn’t rate his father at all. Or his work. But I liked those early pictures. Now he’s changed his style completely. Forgive me, my dear, I know very little about art, but they seem very bleak.”
“I’d agree with you. But Cal never said his dad was coming. I mean, he was out at Auchenblae yesterday. That was when he brought the dog. To keep me company.” Unconditional love
She thinks about the posy ring, but decides to keep quiet about it for the time being. The fewer people who know about it and the portrait of Lilias the better. “He didn’t mention William then?” “He never said anything about his father.” “I don’t think he knows he’s over here then. Oh dear.”
“I don’t understand. get on?”
She can’t imagine Rob arriving anywhere and not wanting to see her. Sometimes it occurs to her how lucky she has been to take for granted something that many other people don’t have. Such unconditional love.
Elspeth leans closer. The windows in the upstairs bedrooms are propped open. Daisy wonders which one Cal’s father has checked into. But surely he can’t possibly hear from up there.
“They don’t. I shouldn’t be saying this, but they don’t get on at all. That’s one of the reasons Cal spends so much time away from Glasgow. Fiona more or less runs the shop, or at least she does all the dogsbody stuff. She does as she’s told.
“I’ve occasionally seen them together, and my husband always remarks that if he ever spoke to me like William speaks to Fiona, he would find a saucepan fitted over
Do cottage they in is really the too not his head. And he’s right.” Little Cameron looks very fierce all of a her cheeks very pink.
“I had no idea. He never said anything.” “He never does. Too concerned for his mum.”
“He did say something about the restoration work. How he preferred doing that, but his dad said it was just craftwork and not worth bothering with.”
“That’s the long and the short of it. But I wondered if he knew that William was coming and now you tell me he doesn’t.”
In a quandary
“He may know. He doesn’t tell me everything. In fact, I hardly know him.” Why does she feel the need to stress this? Is she protesting too much?
“He doesn’t lend Hector to “Doesn’t he?”
“No. But I’m in a quandary. I don’t know whether to phone Carraig and tell him that his dad’s here, or whether I shouldn’t be sticking my nose into things that don’t concern me. That’s what my husband says anyway. Leave well alone, Elspeth.” “Maybe he’s right.”
“He’s not such a big fan of Cal, that’s the trouble. William’s booked in for an evening meal. I keep wondering what he’s going to do in between times. And why he’s here.” She gestures towards the car park. “That’s his car. You’re parked alongside it.” “The big white Jag?” “That’s the one.” “Good grief. I was wondering who owned that. I don’t know whether you should tell Cal or not. I mean, he’ll know soon enough, if his dad turns up on his doorstep.”
“That’s what my husband says too. Messengers have a habit of getting shot, though.”
“They do.”
“You wouldn’t or something?”
“No!” She’s appalled at the idea. “No, I can’t. Mrs Cameron, Elspeth, I don’t know his dad from Adam, do I? If I text him, he’ll know we’ve been talking about him.” like to tell just him?
Elspeth sudden, anyone.”
Text him
The Posy Ring, first in the series The Annals of Flowerfield, is written by Catherine Czerkawska and published by Saraband. It is priced at £8.99.
AFife garage chain is to celebrate 17 years in business by opening their 17th outlet. D&G Autocare opened its first site in Dunfermline in 2004. Since then it has expanded across Tayside and Fife, as well as in the west of Scotland.
The move is a further consolidation of its position in the west, where it owns garages in East Kilbride and Airdrie.
The new premises will be situated just opposite the Shawfield Stadium in Rutherglen.
Set up a cost of £150,000, it will employ five staff and will provide a full servicing provision, including MOTs for Classes 4 and 7.
Experienced autocare professional Shaun Clelland, previously the manager at D&G Autocare in East Kilbride, will head up the new garage which hopes to employ apprentices in the near future.
Notable for claiming an industry first a few years ago, when it launched an innovative vehicle management app to market, D&G – headquartered in Kirkcaldy – employs a total of 150 people, with a £10 million turnover.
The app provides automatic reminders a week before tax, MOT or car insurance is due to expire.
George Simpson, who owns the business with David Hunter, said the new garage, which will open next month, was good news for the local economy.
He said: “We are delighted to offer to both domestic and business customers in the Rutherglen area, a modern and accessible new garage carrying the trusted D&G name.
“It’s good news for the local economy at what has been an extremely difficult time for everyone.
“We look forward to building a strong clientele here in the coming months.
“This is a fantastic new location, just five minutes from Glasgow city centre.
“It’s also an extremely happy coincidence that this opening of garage number 17 is coinciding with our 17th anniversary.”
He added: “It was always our intention at launch to try to open a new garage every year, if we saw the correct opportunities in the right locations.
“It hasn’t worked out exactly like that, but we’re really pleased to have got to this total, especially given the pandemic, which is affecting every part of the economy.
“Each garage we open represents an overall investment in equipment and staff of over £150,000, which is a considerable amount of money.”
Mr Wood went on to say that the business operated a successful apprenticeship scheme for both mechanics and administration staff.
“Three young people will be qualifying later this year across our group as a result of our apprentice scheme,” he said.
“It’s really important to us to keep this going, and even before the pandemic came along, we saw real value in this approach, providing us with young mechanics trained to our own standards, and administration staff that understand the business inside out.
“We would hope to take on an apprentice in the future at the Rutherglen garage.”
He said D&G employed local people at each of its locations.
“This is important to stress, as many customers want to keep their business local, another legacy the pandemic has left us,” he said.
“We’re always keen to get involved in the grassroots communities around our garages and have in the past sponsored many local clubs and associations.
“It works well for us in spreading awareness of our branding and services.”
The John Lewis Partnership has warned of further department store closures after the pandemic sent it plunging to its first ever annual loss.
The group, which also owns upmarket grocer Waitrose, does not expect all John Lewis shops to reopen after lockdown and expects results to get worse over the year ahead.
It did not say how many of its 42 shops will go, saying it was in talks with landlords and will decide at the end of the month.
Reports suggest eight stores will shut, on top of eight announced in July.
The group confirmed a previously announced move to scrap its staff bonus for the first time since 1953 after tumbling to a £157 million pre-tax loss for the year to January 30 against profits of £146m the previous year.
It marked the first loss in the group’s history, which began in 1864.
Chairman Sharon White said: “There is no getting away from the fact that some areas can no longer profitably sustain a John Lewis store.
“We do not expect to reopen all our John Lewis shops at the end of lockdown.
“We will do everything we can to lessen the impact and will continue to provide community funds to support local areas.”
The announcement signals further jobs could be at risk, after 1,300 went last summer.
A spokesman said redundancies would be a “last resort”.
John Lewis said results will get worse this financial year as it looks to invest £800m in an overhaul to turn around its fortunes, which will only partially be offset by annual savings of £300m.
The group wants to restart staff bonuses as soon as profits sustainably recover to at least £150m.
It hopes to be back to profit in 2022-23, with £200m next year and £400m by 2025-26.
“The coming year is a crucial one in our five-year turnaround of the partnership,” it said.
It slumped to the loss over the past year after taking massive writedowns on the value of its shops due to the pandemic.
The group has been helped by £190m in government emergency support, including business rates relief and furlough.
The department store arm saw like-for-like sales flat while earnings slumped 25% to £554m.
Waitrose saw comparable store sales rise 10% and earnings lift 8% to £1.1m. cost
The Scottish Government is considering a hardship fund for pig farmers affected by the temporary closure of the country’s main pig processing plant due to a Covid-19 outbreak earlier this year.
The plant, near Brechin, was closed for almost three weeks in January resulting in a backlog in pigs waiting for slaughter and the loss of export licences to send product to China – a market which accounted for approximately 25% of the plant’s throughput.
Farm leaders say the loss of the Chinese market has knocked £15 a head off the price farmers are paid for their pigs and without financial support many pig farmers will exit the industry.
Andy McGowan, the chief executive of farmers’ co-operative Scottish Pig
Producers, which supplies pigs to the Brechin abattoir, said although the backlog was nearly cleared, farmers were now in “serious lossmaking territory”.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed a hardship fund was being considered for affected producers in response to a question at First Minister’s Questions by Aberdeenshire East MSP Gillian Martin.
Ms Martin asked what government support would be made available for farmers affected by the temporary closure of the abattoir and the loss of the Chinese export market.
She said pig farmers were facing “severe disruption” with increased costs and capacity issues arising from pigs waiting to be slaughtered and a reduction in the price they received for their animals.
Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government was aware of the challenges Scottish pig farmers were facing and “active consideration is being given to what, if any, hardship support could be provided to the farmers affected”.
She said government officials were in discussions with Defra and Beijing embassy officials to see what could be done to resume Chinese exports from the Brechin plant.
Mr McGowan welcomed news that a hardship fund was being considered and said he hoped the Scottish Government would confirm whether support would be made available in the next few weeks.
He added: “It’s entirely Covid related – it’s unique circumstances and we are really concerned about what this situation will do to the long-term structure of the pig industry.”
Funding is being made available to help young and ambitious butchers carve out a career in the meat sector.
Red meat levy body Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) has teamed up with butchers body Scottish Craft Butchers to offer financial support to those wishing to further their training and gain the Craft Butcher Diploma of Scotland.
The diploma is an internationally recognised qualification available to both experienced butchers looking to gain official certification and aspiring butchers who have completed the Modern Apprenticeship in SVQ Meat and Poultry Skills at Level 3.
QMS will support members of its Scotch Butchers Club – a group comprising more than 250 independent butchers across the UK who stock Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork – to do the training for the diploma by funding 50% of the training fee to the value of £250.
The training will be delivered by Craft Skills Scotland assessors and butchery business owners signing off on the competency of trainees in required areas.
“The Craft Butcher Diploma is held in extremely high regard in the red meat industry and is considered the final piece in the jigsaw to becoming a master craftsman in butchery,” said QMS brands development manager and qualified butcher Gordon Newlands.
“We are looking forward to supporting butchers to push their boundaries and further their skills within the industry.”
Gordon King, executive manager of Scottish Craft Butchers, welcomed the initiative.
He said: “With the increase in demand for butchers, we need to make sure our young men and women are the best that they can be.
“By partnering with QMS and the Scotch Butchers Club we can help position the industry so that butchers are seen as leaders in craftsmanship, product knowledge, provenance, speciality and innovation in an era when consumers are striving to know more about where their food comes from.”