Farmers affected by recent floods can now apply for a grant to help repair man-made floodbanks on farms.

The Agricultural Floodbank Repair Grant Scheme was announced by the First Minister earlier this year with £1m being set aside for affected farms in nine local authorities: Scottish Borders, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, South Lanarkshire, Aberdeenshire, City of Aberdeen, Angus and East Ayrshire.

The Scottish Government has worked in partnership with NFU Scotland to develop a scheme that will deliver targeted help with minimal red tape.

The scheme will cover the standard costs of repairs, up to a cap of £20,000 per business, and will remain open to applications until the end of February - with applications subject to an approval process, before funding will be made available in March. The level of individual awards will be determined by the number of applications to the scheme.

Market round-up

Prices for milk products fell by 7.4 per cent, to their lowest level since September 2015, at this week's Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auctions held on Tuesday. That is the third consecutive fall, and with output still rising in some major producer countries, dashes hope for any significant price recovery this year.

Biggest movers were whole milk powder that fell by 10.4 per cent and butter that was down 8.3 per cent.

Messrs Craig Wilson Ltd sold 21 prime heifers at Ayr on Tuesday to a top of £1270.95 per head and 229p per kg to average £1107.67 and 202.6p, while a prime bullock fetched £1213.25 or 211p. Three prime bulls peaked at £1108.40 and 174p to level at £1033.08 and 160.6p.

In the rough ring 59 beef cows averaged 110.9p and 151 dairy cows levelled at 85.7p. Four bulls averaged 113.1p.

Another small show of 4 dairy cattle sold to £1200 for a freshly-calved Holstein Friesian heifer and averaged £1100.

There were also 68 beef-breeding cattle forward at the monthly sale. Top prices and averages: Heifers with calf-at-foot to £1900 and averaged £1615 for 10; cows with calves £1400 (x3) and £976.66 for 39; in-calf heifers £1200 and £1037.50 for 8; maiden heifers £880 and £730 for 6; bulls 2000gns and £1671.25 for 6.

The firm went on to sell 1436 prime hoggs in Newton Stewart yesterday to a top of £91.20 per head and 225p per kg to average 178p (+3.2p on the week). That overall average included 617 Blackfaces that peaked at £80 and 188.2p to level at 174p.

There were also 224 cast sheep forward when ewes sold to £92.50 for Suffolks and £67 for Blackfaces.