Nominee Summary
Remote island communities rely on businesses willing to invest, innovate and work collaboratively to overcome challenges that larger mainland communities face less frequently. Local Jura couple Andrew and Cathy’s dream was to develop a croft and an Approved Game Handling Establishment (AGHE) serving the island and surrounding communities. Tarrant Refrigeration worked with them the design, build and deliver and AGHE that has become a centrepiece of the local economy with significant environmental, community and food chain benefits.
Overcoming Challenges
The barriers were substantial: remote geography, difficult access, a complex build and problems securing quotes needed for grant funding because other suppliers were unwilling to take on the job. Tarrant Refrigeration did not treat remoteness as a reason to walk away. We travelled to site, understood the constraints and delivered a facility fit for venison to enter the local human food chain. When we collaborated to establish the Jura AGHE, the ambition was never simply to build a wild venison processing facility, we wanted to create an asset that would strengthen the community, support sustainable land management and ensure that more of the value created on Jura remained within the islands. Building the AGHE on Jura was a significant undertaking. The three-month construction project had to overcome the challenges of transporting specialist equipment and materials to one of Scotland's most remote islands, where journeys to and from the mainland can take up to two days involving Ferries. The benefits have been worth it. Since opening, the Jura AGHE has become an important piece of community infrastructure. It provides local processing capacity that supports: crofters, Estates, 5 primary schools, 1 secondary school, 3 retail shops, 2 hotels and restaurants, CalMac ferry services, distillery events, community festivals, other businesses and residents, creating connections between sustainable land management, local food production and the wider rural economy.
Supporting the community
The AGHE has facilitated partnership with local crofting communities, providing an outlet for deer taken through out-of-season management, helping crofters protect productive land while ensuring these animals enter the food chain as a valuable local food resource. The AGHE has enough capacity to process deer from annual estate culls across Jura with scope for expansion. The AGHE has also created employment opportunities. There are relief staff to provide cover during illness and annual leave, as well as employment of additional staff during local events and plans to create another seasonal role between November and February to support increasing demand. It has also sparked further community collaboration by supplying a local Islay charity through its retail outlet and hopes to support responsible deer management within forests owned by the charity.
Ethical/environmental standards
The Jura AGHE demonstrates what can be achieved when a rural business is created with community benefit at its heart. By overcoming the challenges of establishing a specialist refrigeration facility in a remote island location, Wild Jura Venison ensures lasting environmental, economic and social benefits. The project has strengthened partnerships, supported local employment, improved food security, added value to responsible land management and created an enduring community asset that will continue to benefit Jura and Islay for many years to come.
