End to Bull Hire
A long-running bulls-for-hire scheme in the Scottish Highlands and Islands is coming to an end.
The service, managed by the Crofters Commission, has been supplying bulls to crofters in the area but, facing declining usage, it is soon to be wound up.
400 out of 13,000 crofters are currently using the animals, according to Environment Minister Mike Russell. The alternative will be for crofters to keep bulls themselves, but this will mean keeping them indoors over winter and paying for their increasingly expensive feed.

