Thrill of the Hill is back for season 6! Armed with a new team, new ideas and a range of new speakers, Alex takes on the hot topics impacting the farmed upland environment.

Scotland has a vibrant and dynamic farming industry, merging traditional practices with new innovations, yet barriers and challenges to entering and exiting the industry remain. Established in 2019 in response to industry concerns over the lack of new entrants across the sectors, the Scottish Land Matching Service (SLMS) offers a range of free services, providing advice and guidance, tools and signposting and a comprehensive database of individuals seeking opportunities in farming. In this episode Ian Davidson OBE gives us an overview of SLMS, what it does, who it works with and who it is looking for, highlighting some of the opportunities and successes through the initiative – across farming and crofting.

Want to get in touch with Ian? He can be contacted at the Scottish Land Matching Service via email enquiries at slms@nfus.org.uk

Note: This episode was recorded in March 2025

Related FAS Resources

New Entrants resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service

Specialist Advice | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Related External Resources

Scottish Land Matching Service | Opportunities in Scottish Farming

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.

Venison, an underappreciated meat in Scotland? Despite the abundance of deer in Scotland, farmed and wild, venison has never been a staple of the Scottish diet, certainly not in the same way as beef or lamb. Scottish Government reports that the amount of farmed venison in Scotland increased by around 4.9% on the last five year average, making up 16,000 animals. That figure might sound impressive, but the Venison Advisory Service suggests that accounts for only 3% of national production, with the remainder coming from wild venison. Scottish Government reports that around 3,500 tonnes of wild venison is produced in Scotland each year and The Times suggest that around two thirds of that is used in the domestic and wider UK markets. But with such plentiful supplies of venison on our hills, could we be making more of it? In this episode Anona Gow discusses the virtues of venison, its nutritional value, cooking options, perception of the sector and reflects on her new book, The Venison Kitchen.

Want to get in touch with Anona? She can be contacted at The Venison Kitchen via email enquiries at hello@thevenisonkitchen.co.uk

Related FAS Resources

https://www.fas.scot/publication/podcast-the-thrill-of-the-hill-deer-farming-management/

https://www.fas.scot/publication/thinning-herds-thicken-forests/

Related External Resources

The Venison Kitchen by Anona Gow Cook Book

Events — Pitscandly Farm Venison Events and Farmers Markets

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.

We're all human, fragile and fallible, accidents can occur and mistakes can be made, people can be in danger, get hurt and when that happens, be in need of first aid. The National Farmers Union reports that despite accounting for only 1% of the working population, agriculture accounts for 20% of all deaths in the workplace. In this episode, qualified First Aid Trainer and practitioner, Sean Magee discusses the importance of first aid in the farm and rural environment, including what information to provide to emergency services and the processes of seeking help, how to assess the requirements of a casualty and top tips for dealing with agricultural related incidents when they occur.

If you want to get in touch with Sean, he can be contacted at CPS Activities Ltd via email at enquiries@cpsactivities.com.

Related FAS Resources

Developing Safe Farming Practices - Lone Working

Other Related Resources

First Aid Training - CPS Activities Ltd