Andrew Macdonald

Agricultural Consultant. All views my own

[mohammed hussein~Gaza 🇵🇸 @mohammedIhysse]

I write to you now from beneath the sorrowful skies of Gaza, under constant Israeli bombardment.
But this time, I’m not just writing about the bombs—we’ve grown used to those.
Today, I write to you about hunger… because I am starving.

It has been nearly six months since we last tasted meat. We’ve forgotten what it even tastes like.
For two years, food prices have been unbearable. A single bag of flour now costs $1000.
But today… even money can’t buy food—because it’s simply not available.
I searched all day for just 1 kilogram of flour and found none. In rare cases, it costs up to $80 per kilo.

Today, neither I nor my children, Imad and Adam, ate anything.
And it’s not just us—all of Gaza is starving.
People are collapsing in the streets from hunger… fainting from nothing to eat…
And the world stays silent. 😭

So I cry out to you now—not just to stop the bombs,
But to stop us from dying of hunger.

Please… we can’t take it anymore.

In the end, I say this without shame:
I am hungry. And my children are hungry. 😭😭

Please share my words. Let the world know what is happening in Gaza.

mohammed hussein✍️

[Jeremiah Johnson 🌐 @JeremiahDJohns]

One of my all-time favorite type of videos is pre-fame bands playing their extremely famous songs to a tiny room of people, because they're not yet known.

A thread of some examples:

Bastille playing Pompeii in what looks like someone's living room:

[Steven Thomson @StevenGThomson]

Worth having a look at the new "Greening" guidance released by @ScotGovRural
If you have more than 15 hectares combined of cropping + temporary grassland (rotational grass under 5 years - SAF codes TGRS1 - TGRS5) then this will affect you @FASScot @SRUC
https://t.co/FHinCanTVw

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@sheepfarmer782 Flies have been really bad with us too, much earlier incidents of strike on ewes and even occasional lambs too

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@AgriHighland @FearnFarm agree with @FearnFarm on all of above, leafy brassicas not hardy enough post Christmas; swedes an excellent feed crop but can be tricky to grow well. Relatively expensive which is fine if they do well, but not great if they don't. Wouldn't personally risk an August swede sowing

[NFU Scotland @NFUStweets]

Attention sheep & goat keepers 📣
The annual inventory is due to be completed by 30 January.
Click here to complete➡️https://t.co/MJZeDtHS6g

[Steven Thomson @StevenGThomson]

Some interesting Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands budget lines in the @scotgov budget today. £20m increase in agricultural transformation fund. Some reductions in agri-environment payments. Drop of £9m in the National Test Programme to £3m, 👇 1/2

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@SnoopDougieDoig @HighlandLT @DavidsonMagnus Also when did average speed cameras go live on the A9?

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@SnoopDougieDoig @HighlandLT @DavidsonMagnus What’s the total number of collisions not filtered for speed being a contributory factor? How many A9 accidents involve non Scottish drivers ( accidentally driving on the right and/or unaware of constantly changing from dual to single carriageway)?

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@SnoopDougieDoig @HighlandLT @DavidsonMagnus Interested to know number of accidents as well as fatalities & for whole Scotland not just A9. A82 seems to have an accident every day & multiple times per day in summer. Also increasing LGV limit to 50 on all single carriageway contradicts road safety & emissions justifications

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@SnoopDougieDoig @HighlandLT @DavidsonMagnus correlation, not causation. Increased mobile phone use, increased in-car technology and distraction, increased in-car safety changing (driver) attitude to risk. Changing speed limits and speed cameras will not stop dangerous or distracted or drunk drivers, roads policing would

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@brucemcconachie Conversely, I love my hilux but when the roads get snowy/icy I am perplexed by the inability to run permanent AWD of a type which the original 90/110 Landrovers had in the mid 80’s never mind the much more sophisticated versions they have now

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@EdinvaleFarm Se & vitamin E have fascinating effects on fertility, growth, milk/colostrum and antibody synthesis. When 1st diagnosed our NCC ewes went from 120% weaning to 145%, stronger lambs, no big lamb and a runt in twins, etc

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@agricontract It’s not really a new take, 20 odd years ago Margaret Beckett said that farmers would be park keepers and we could import all our food requirements from outside the UK

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@howemill @pete_ar_fryn @treesforlifeuk Forgetting about the justification or otherwise of this type of cattle, given the very large population of deer, as well as sheep and cattle in this area, as well as tick and midgies, introducing potential bluetongue reservoir/vectors to an unaffected area seems naive at best

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@grj243 @BushWear I bought Meindl Butan boots last October & this started to happen though not as bad. @TisoOnline said upper band could be replaced but then boot started leaking in May. @TisoOnline sent them off to Meindl UK to check and now full refund/replacement, service exemplary

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@bencm305 It’s been autumn here since last autumn!

[Scottish Land Commission @ScottishLandCom]

Are you up to date with the latest TFC guidance?

The guidance covers the use of comparables in rent reviews and was developed in consultation with members of the TFAF. It aims to improve how comparable holdings are used in rent reviews for agricultural tenancies 🚜

[Andrew Macdonald @andymacd107]

@FASScot @ScotCroftingFed @NFUStweets broken link?

[The Figen @TheFigen_]

😂😂

https://t.co/7SCF4zbkPi