Gordon visited Graham and Rebecca Barr on the farm having previously met the couple at the local Balerno Farmers Market. The Barr family are enthusiastically building the farm back up again and Graham has recently taken part in the Rural Leadership programme run by Scottish Enterprise.
The 500-acre farm currently has over 100 sheep in the middle of the lambing season, with the first lambs due to be born from Sunday. The couple hope to treble the amount of sheep on the farm and are looking at others ways of expanding the enterprise.
Speaking after his visit, Gordon said:
“It was a real pleasure to be invited along by the Barr family to see their farm, right here in the scenic surroundings of the Pentland Hills.
The couple are very enthusiastic about building up this farm. There is a great deal of potential and I am sure they will make a great success of it.
I look forward to being able to buy good quality lamb reared right on our doorstep. It is important that this Scottish lamb can find a way to its own domestic market so that local people can help support it.
If we champion local produce there can be a very bright future ahead for our farmers in the years to come.”
Rebecca Barr said:
"It was great to have the opportunity to share our start-up plans and raise awareness of rural issues and those affecting new entrants into agriculture."