Tiree TV Stars

by Eilidh MacPherson

Tiree TV Stars

Tiree TV Stars, farmers Alastair and Iain MacInnes, who recently starred in the Caledonian McBrayne “Island Crossings” documentary, certainly don’t let living on an island and distance from markets define them

This father and son team, who farm Ruaig (250ha including common grazing) on the Island of Tiree, sold a bull to 12 000gns, the fourth top of the sale at Carlisle in February this year

They also sold a Limousin calf in Oban, which had been Champion of Champions at Tiree Show and Lorn Show to a Young Farmer for the Over Wintering Competition

With a four-hour ferry crossing to Oban, haulage and the transport cost is the biggest handicap to the islanders

“We pay an extra £70-£100 a tonne for feeding and fertiliser to be delivered, which puts us at a huge disadvantage financially to our counterparts on the mainland We try to buy a full load at a

time to reduce the cost,” said Alastair, who worked for two decades for the Milk Marketing board out of Glasgow before he returned to the family croft and took up a position at the Tiree airport

Alastair now ‘retired’ works in partnership with his son Iain (in his late thirties) running pedigree and commercial sheep and cattle on Ruaig, which has been in the family for more generations than he can remember Iain, like many other island crofters has had a supplementary income over the years Apart from a stint as a student at Oatridge College in West Lothian, he has worked on the Tiree pier for Calmac since he left school “I’ve recently cut my hours back and now only do one shift a week ”

The MacInneses run 75 head of pedigree and commercial cattle on the sandy machair, which lies just above sea level “We have a high water table and the hollows fill up with in the winter, so

the cattle are housed in cubicles and bedded on sand,” said Alastair, who introduced pedigree Belgian Blues to Tiree back in 1988

“We buy bulls on looks not figures,” added Iain, who has had success in both show and sale rings “Figures force people to feed to the hilt and greatly reduces the mobility and lifespan – over cooking the beasts We do follow the myostatin genes however using F94 genetics on the Blue cross cattle for easier calving ”

“We had pedigree Simmental cattle but realised that they were not the breed for us as we couldn’t get them strong enough against the Aberdeenshire guys, who are farming on much better ground,” shared Iain. “We kept the cows and they are run with the British Blue bull. We have kept all females out of that cross and they are crossed with the Limousin, which have been producing our show calves ”

Aberdeen Angus crosses and Saler

FARM FACTS

Farmers: Alastair & Iain MacInnes

Crofting/ Farming:Ruaig

Location: Isle of Tiree

Area: 618acres / 250ha

Cattle: 75 cows some pedigree British Blue and Limousin cattle commercial Simmental x Blues, AA X and Saler X covered byCharolais bull

Sheep: 400 ewes, mainly Mules

Other: Iain works part time for Calmac

Sell beef & lamb Campsites for tourists Static caravan