Dumfries House announces a ground-breaking joint venture with Morrisons
Posted 26th June 2009 10:30am by Alison Duguid
The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust has announced a ground-breaking joint venture with Morrisons to farm 700 acres on the Dumfries House Estate in East Ayrshire.
The Morrisons Farm at Dumfries House will research how farming efficiency and sustainability can be further improved. It will aim to become a leading centre of excellence for farming research, working in a new partnership with the Scottish Agricultural College to drive research into sustainable farming models and share best practice throughout the industry, with the support of the National Farmers Union Scotland.
Dumfries House is one of the most architecturally significant houses in the country and was saved for the nation in 2007 by a consortium led by The Prince of Wales. The consortium’s achievement of saving Dumfries House offered the surrounding community the opportunity of regeneration and the farm will continue this work, with the investment also providing the opportunity to contribute to further advancing the sustainability of farming in Scotland.
The farm will rear traditional cattle and sheep breeds, with the first livestock to arrive later this year being Shorthorn and Angus cattle. Some arable crop will be grown for animal feed. Research projects will focus on animal feeding, housing and welfare.
First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, said: "This excellent news is further proof of the undeniable value and importance of saving Dumfries House last year...The Morrisons Farm at Dumfries House will bring significant economic benefits to the local area and is a great example of the importance of innovation and research within the food chain."
To read more of this story visit the Dumfries House website.
