Also in the news / Also in the news: Sandness mill upgrade, GPS bumblebee project and more …
A CUTTING-edge new system has been installed at Shetland’s only commercial woollen mill in an innovative upgrade.
Jamieson’s Spinning Ltd in Sandness has installed the vacuum fettling system to its carding machines after a financial boost from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
HIE has provided £32,643 to Jamieson’s for the upgrade, which will replace the time-consuming manual cleaning process with an automated solution.
The new system is said to cut downtime by up to 75 per cent, and is also expected to create 1.5 new jobs – as well as boosting efficiency and improving yarn quality.
HIE area manager for Orkney and Shetland, Katrina Wiseman, said this was a “great example of how innovation can support rural business growth”.
The mill, established in 1981, processes Shetland wool from fleece to finished yarn, offering more than 400 colours in five weights.
Garry Jamieson from Jamieson’s said the vacuum system was “an amazing addition”.
“Manual fettling is hard graft and this should make a big difference to our great staff,” he said.
CROFTERS in Shetland are adopting GPS technology to revolutionise how they manage their livestock, and to preserve the ‘Shetland bumblebee’.
Virtual fence collars are GPS-enabled devices worn by cattle that allow farmers to control where their animals graze without the need for fences.
It works by virtual paddocks being drawn on a smartphone app, with the cattle hearing warning sounds from their collar when they approach the invisible boundaries.
If they continue forward, they receive a mild electronic pulse – described as being one-third the strength of a traditional electric fence.
With Shetland home to one of the UK’s rarest bumblebees, nicknamed the ‘Shetland bumblebee’, the GPS technology is being used to protect nectar-rich wildflowers.
Species on the Edge has distributed 46 virtual fence collars to four crofters in Shetland to help with grazing.
Four of Laura Sinclair’s cows in the South Mainland have been fitted with collars, and will break down a matted layer of plant litter to open ground for diverse wildflowers.
“We are really excited about the collars and are hoping they will allow us to graze areas that don’t have suitable fencing for cattle,” she said.
“It’s also been useful for tracking the cattle and their whereabouts, particularly during calving.”
SSEN Transmission is offering up to £5.5 million worth over contracts to small businesses in the north of Scotland over the next five years.
The contracts for maintenance work across 180 sites include substation sites and other transmission infrastructure that form part of the company’s investment to upgrade the electricity grid across the north of Scotland.
Local contractors in the Highlands and Islands are invited to apply to tender for the work via SSEN Transmission’s minor maintenance framework, by the closing date of 29 October 2025.
Contracts cover work in a variety of areas, including general building work, minor civils work, roofing, plumbing, painting, fencing, and metal and fabrication works.
LOCAL company SSQC is set to attend the ASSG Conference in Oban for the first time next week, showcasing its new Sensoreal rapid testing for detection of toxins in shellfish.
The laboratory-based service provides fast, accurate detection of certain toxins, helping the shellfish sector access reliable results quickly.
SSQC managing director Steven Laidlaw said their attendance “marks an important step” for the company.
“We have recently expanded the availability of microbiological testing services across Scotland and already support many customers in the seafood sector.”
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