In day two of our ongoing series examining the impact of Scotland's ferry crisis on island communities, The Herald's food and drink writer, Sarah Campbell, speaks to a family with four decades of history inisland hospitality. “I think people either don’t realise or choose not to understand the impact that this is having" said Allan MacLean. “Those who are making the decisions should make the effort to realise what the difficulties of living on the islands are."
Since founding MacLean’s Bakery with his brother, Ewen, almost 40 years ago, Allan MacLean has worked tirelessly at the heart of Uist’s hospitality industry with ventures including the Stepping Stone restaurant, Bayhead Shop and a takeaway outlet in the centre of Balivanich.
The team has catered countless wedding ceilidhs, secured stockists across the country and starred in the hit BBC Alba series, An Taigh-Fuine, which revealed the inner workings of an operation that produces thousands of signature recipe oatcakes, pies and pastries every day.
And yet, in the midst of the CalMac ferry crisis, the 63-year-old has spoken frankly about his concerns for the future.
“I wouldn’t fancy opening a new business on the islands now,” he told us over the phone from the bakery’s office in Uachdar, “everything is against you.”
“At my age, I’m now starting to look at a way out, but staff aren’t interested in taking over because they know what it’s like.
“I’ve seen a huge change in the islands over the last five to ten years and it’s not for the better.”
While some of these challenges can be attributed to a difficult period of post covid recovery, Allan says there’s no denying that unreliable ferry services are having a direct impact on the local economy as holidaymakers find themselves increasingly reluctant to book passage to the islands.
He said: “I don’t think we’ll know for sure how much of an effect the ferries have had on our trade until two or three months down the line when we can look back on what we’ve taken in.
“But, already we can tell that a lot of people are cancelling trips to the islands because they don’t know for sure they will get over.
“Even if the boat does go, the worry is then that they won’t be able to get back to the mainland which is too much of a risk for anyone who needs to get back to work.”
It’s not just a sharp drop in footfall that is causing turmoil amongst the island’s Food and Drink enterprises.
READ MORE: March for ferry justice: Islanders take protest over CalMac service cuts to mainland
In the absence of guaranteed daily sailings, businesses like the bakery are now being forced to adapt quickly as they scramble to plan for fewer deliveries and irregular drop-off times.
Allan continued: “We took the decision a few months back to start holding more stock, which sometimes means that you’re ordering your next delivery as soon as one arrives.
“We’ve never had to do that before.
“Cash flow is then not as good because you’ve had to reorder early just to make sure there’s enough to last.
“In this day and age, it’s so important to be aware of allergens and that means we can’t substitute one of our regular ingredients if it’s not in stock. We wouldn’t dare.
“There’s yet to be a day where we haven’t been able to bake due to a lack of ingredients, but for the last while it’s been very, very close.
"Too close.”
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A late ferry is, of course, better than no ferry at all.
But delays caused by reroutes or cancellations have created a whole new set of problems for the team of close to 40 local employees who have for decades functioned like a well-oiled machine.
Allan said: “Our delivery carriers are very understanding, but if there are no ferries there’s nothing they can do.
“If they do manage to get a lorry to take something over then they might not be able to get back to Inverness.
“Not having a regular timetable then creates a staffing issue.
“We have to have people waiting to accept a delivery when it arrives late who then won’t be able to do the same hours the next day.
“It’s not the way it should be and puts unnecessary pressure on everyone involved.”
When even minor changes to a ferry service can lead to a knock-on effect for every facet of the business, a lack of any clear resolution in sight seems all the more troubling.
Asked if he feels their struggle is being ignored, Allan replied: “I think people either don’t realise or choose not to understand the impact that this is having.
“Those who are making the decisions should make the effort to realise what the difficulties of living on the islands are.
“It’s not easy even when things are running the way they should, so when things are going wrong it puts an enormous strain on businesses and staff.
“There seems to be no sense of urgency to guarantee that we are making enough money to pay our bills, which is more difficult than ever now.”
READ MORE: 'Enough is enough' : The £620k taxpayer cost of 'ignored' ferry fiasco study
When talk turns to proposed compensation for those who have reported losing thousands as a direct consequence of boats that are unfit for purpose, Allan says that action is long overdue.
He said: “People won’t understand until it starts to make a difference to their life.
“They have no idea what it’s like to have to depend on the ferries for deliveries two or three times a week.
“Without them, I still have to pay my staff and make sure we have enough stock to keep the business running.
“It’s not right.
"Whoever is paying for it, it shouldn’t be the people on the islands.”
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