auctioneering company John Swan & Sons, which operates in Edinburgh and St Boswells, has become the first in the UK to have an employee qualified as an assessor under the Scottish Livestock Vocational qualification scheme for markets. The honour goes to St Boswells market foreman Bill Crombie, centre, who will train other employees. Borders College, which trained Crombie, has been commissioned to set up a schedule for each mart in Scotland. The SVQ training will run in tandem with the SQBLA assurance scheme for markets. Pictured with Crombie are (left to right) Jack Clark, Swan's managing director;

Millar, Border Master Butchers' Association.