Claire hits high notes with competition win
A BUSINESS case for a new agricultural supply co- operative on Mull has won third year SRUC Agriculture Honours student and local resident Claire Simonetta, 24, from Ulva Ferry, a study trip to Ireland.
Together with colleague Fraser Graham, from Hollybush near Ayr, who is also studying at the Ayr campus of Scotland’s Rural College, they entered their joint course work in a competition organised by Scotland’s co- operative support organisation SAOS.
Claire is no stranger to competition wins. In 2015 she won high praise and the prestigious annual Agriscot Business skills competition, collecting £1,000. This latest success, which will involve visits in June to agricultural co- operatives around Cork, is the result of a case study proposing a solution to some of the agricultural supply issues surrounding island crofts and farms including the 3,200 hectare Torloisk beef and sheep farm she lives on with partner Iain Mackay and which formed the focus of the report.
From a central depot, the proposed non-profit ‘Mull Farm Supply Co- op’ would be able to co- ordinate and store bulk orders for inputs like animal feed or lime, something which has not been spread on the island for some years. The students’ plan notes a recent increase in weather-related ferry cancellations and the fact that many farming businesses are too small to justify bulk deliveries but too big to rely on the small 25 kg bags ordered through delivery services.
‘We believe a locally managed co- op, with an elected board of directors, would help improve communication and the understanding of what Mull farmers and crofters need during any season,’ said Claire. ‘It would not only help the existing suppliers but offer opportunities to supply other services. Our plan envisages an initial membership investment of between £200 and £ 5,000 which entitles them to a vote, with any profit not retained to build the business passed back in the form of interest paid to the members, according to their initial commitment and use of the services.’ From Switzerland, Claire Simonetta originally trained in opera singing, but after visiting Scotland for the first time she found the culture and people Scotland made it the perfect place to settle.
Several jobs within agricultural businesses and organisations in Scotland and Wales also confirmed that agriculture was for her and she enrolled at SRUC.