Letter John Findly to RSE: I was a Councillor for the ward of Islay South for ten years and remain interested in these issues so will try to address them to the best of my ability.
1) There have been several drivers for change on Islay since 1997 when sheep prices were stable and fair and had been for several years. 1998 however saw a collapse in lamb prices and a lot of farmers in Argyll and the Highlands and Islands suffered a severe loss of income. In my case in 1997 34 kilo Cheviot lambs sold in the store ring made ?38, but the same lambs in 1998 made ?18.50. Caste ewes in 1997 made ?25, but in 1998 they only made ?5 for the best. Our wool cheque in 1987 for 1,250 kilos was ?1,500 but in 1999 we sold 1,251 kilos for only ?400. It was estimated that in 1998 ?10,000,000 did not come to Argyll and Bute due to the poor prices for sheep and other agricultural products. It is no wonder that, due to the poor prices for store sheep and the single farm payment, lots of farmers have given up keeping sheep or have drastically reduced their numbers. 700,000 have been removed from the Highlands and Islands in ten years. In the year 2000 the Islay Creamery closed and the seven big milk producers had to get rid of their dairy cows and change over to beef production. Those in SSSI areas entered into management agreements with SNH which helped to maintain their income. Tourism has greatly increased on Islay due to the number of visitors from all over the world who come to visit the distilleries and experience the wild life as well as our local culture and environment. It is evident that on Islay there is land uncultivated that could be used to produce good crops. This is a very bad trend and the matter needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. With the increasing rainfall, hydro schemes both large and micro will have to be pursued as a matter of urgency if the negative effects of global warming are not to become unacceptable. Solar panels on a large scale as well as water wheels could all help the economy of the Highland and Islands area

2) I moved from Fife to Islay in 1964 to farm Kilbride near Port Ellen. The culture of Fife was very different and the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement were more available in galleries, theatres, libraries etc. in Fife than they were on Islay at that time. Gaelic culture on Islay was very strong and as the island, like others in the Hebrides, was fairly isolated, self entertainment through ceilidhs, dances, dramatic societies, Gaelic choirs, debating societies, sheep dog and ploughing and other agricultural societies, Burns suppers and sailing clubs thrived and prospered. Today it is hard to hear Gaelic spoken in the shops and on the street in spite of the considerable effort and expense directed to keeping it alive - and of course the culture and traditions that go with it. There is no doubt it will be an uphill struggle to keep the language alive in future years. It is fair to say that all the self entertainment thrived because the TV reception was poor or non-existent and the ro-ro ferry had not yet been introduced to make travel on and off the island more available and in real terms less expensive. Islay with its population of 3,200 has become very diluted by people with holiday homes from outside the area who come at school holiday times but contribute little to the working life of the island throughout the year. There is a lesson here for the outer isles to look after their Gaelic traditions while there is still a large enough population to keep it going. The TV, with its wall-to-wall soaps and over exposure to American generated rubbish is in danger of putting the British way of live and culture at risk.

The changes in agriculture so far have seen a big reduction in the sheep stock in the Highlands and Islands. In many cases the hills have become rough and full of tick. This has not happened yet all over Islay, but it certainly has over parts of the island. This will affect the grouse and walkers on the hill if they are not well covered up. Farming supports haulier, vets, and engineering repair workshops for farm machinery. If farming activity were to reduce, particularly the keeping of cattle, the markets would suffer and so would the farmers on the east side of the country who depend on farmers and crofters in the west to produce store sheep and cattle. A reduction in farming would not help tourism as no-one wants to see decay and dilapidation with unkempt fields, ditches and farm buildings. I would hope that the government would get a grip of the situation before it is too late. I would not like to see the Highland and Island area covered in forestry, though there is scope to the plant land in such a way as to help farming by providing shelter belts on some of the more exposed hillsides. Climate change over the 40 years I have farmed Kilbride has been very noticeable in that we now have far wetter and stormier winters than we had in the 1960?s and from April-October there used to be far more Islay mist or drizzle. Now one can get heavy rain of an inch or more at any time in the summer. This type of heavy winter rain was very rare in the 1960?s and 70?s. From the farming point of view it is far more difficult to keep cattle outside. There is no doubt in my mind that the time is fast approaching when thoughts along the lines I have indicated will have to be concentrated in to vigourous action to combat climate change and to find an alternative power source to oil. Far too little has been done since the fuel crisis of 2000 and no time should be lost from now on to rectify the situation.

John Findlay, Kilbride Farm, Port Ellen

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This story was published with kind permission of the Ileach local newspaper.

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