Gavin Marshall, owner of Baddinsgill Farm in West Linton has hosted a visit by Minister for Community Safety & Legal Affairs, Paul Wheelhouse MSP, as efforts are stepped up to tackle the problem of agricultural crime.
The Marshall family met with Mr Wheelhouse and Christine Grahame MSP, Convenor of the parliament’s Justice Committee and representatives of Scottish Borders Council and Police Scotland, to highlight the problems they have been experiencing with livestock theft.
The visit was set up as politicians look at strategies for tackling the increasing problem of farm crime and other offences in rural areas.
Baddinsgill Farm has been the victim of several counts of livestock theft in recent years, and Mr Wheelhouse was told about the measures that the farm has taken to prevent the problem and what else farmers believe could be done by government and other public agencies to help clamp down on the issue. Discussions also took place on how farm crime is dealt with in the judicial process.
The full press release can be found here: