A meeting of a sheep breeders' society amid the croft land of the West Coast might seem to be one of the most peaceful, if dull, events imaginable.

But the 26 shepherds who gathered on the Isle of Skye will never forget one particular AGM of the North Talisker Sheep Stock Club Co-operative Society.

At the old school canteen where they met, there erupted a bitter war of words between the chairman and one of the crofter members, a row that ended three years later in a court.

It centred on allegations of theft of sheep food, and claims that a crofter followed and spied on the society chairman from a church.

On one side claiming #5000 in damages for alleged slander was Mr Danny MacLeod, of Portnalong, the then chairman of the sheep stock club.

He went to court claiming that his ''personal comfort and social position'' in the community could have been seriously prejudiced by neighbouring crofter Neil Morrison suggesting at the meeting that he was stealing bags of sheep feed bought with club money.

In papers outlining the claims and counter-claims for the court there was an account by Mr MacLeod, current chairman of the Skye Mod Committee, of the verbal exchange with Morrison at the club meeting.

It was claimed also that Morrison told witnesses that he followed Mr MacLeod's vehicle from the warehouse where he bought sheep feed back to his croft and spied on him for half an hour from a nearby church to see if he would take the feed to the club sheep-pens or keep it at his own croft.

In written answers to the claims Morrison agreed he challenged Mr MacLeod at the meeting about taking club sheep feed to his own croft, but denied that he accused him of theft.

But yesterday after lawyers called witnesses to Portree Sheriff Court for what would have been a two-day hearing of evidence, Morrison said he was sorry.

Through his QC John Campbell he admitted that he had made the allegations complained of by Mr MacLeod at the sheep club AGM and later at other locations, and that they injured Mr MacLeod's feelings.

He also admitted that the statements were unfounded, and said that he would never repeat them again. Morrison also agreed that he would issue his apology to all 60 members of the sheep club society and have it printed in an issue of the Skye weekly newspaper, and make a cash contribution to Mr MacLeod's legal costs.

Neither Mr MacLeod nor Morrison would comment as they left the court.