BRITISH Wool has announced it is moving from its current Galashiels plant to a new modern depot in Selkirk.

The farmer-run organisation aims to make the seven-mile switch from North Wheatlands Mill in Wheatlands Road in time for the 2023 wool season.

The new base – the former RP Adam cleaning products factory at 4 Riverside Road – provides a more spacious working environment, with increased capacity for wool grading and storage, thus “providing more flexibility for the business and improved service to members”.

The purchase comes after the sale of British Wool’s Irvine site in 2021 and it enables the organisation to optimise wool collection and processing costs in the region, thereby helping to improve wool prices for all members.

For local members delivering wool this season the arrangements will remain the same and there will continue to be no deductions for transport for wool delivered to an approved British Wool collection site.

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Jim Robertson, farmer director and British Wool chairman, said: “Since our restructure in 2021, our Galashiels depot has been handling an increased volume of wool from southern Scotland and parts of Northumberland. The existing premises have served our members well, but the time is right to modernise our operation and invest in the future of wool grading in the Scottish Borders.

“As a farmer marketing organisation, everything we do is about adding value to British wool to maximise returns to our farmer members. The proceeds from the sale of our premises in Galashiels, along with those of the sale of the Irvine site, will be reinvested to help us continue to drive operating efficiency.”

For the remainder of the 2022 season, local members should continue to deliver wool to the Galashiels depot.

Around 50 jobs were lost when the AP Adam factory closed in May 2019.

British Wool operates the central marketing system for UK fleece wool. The farmer-run organisation was established in 1950 with the aim of achieving the best possible net return for producers.