Highland farmers have rallied together to get a load of straw ready to send to weather-hit Orkney farmers.
The charitable donation has been co-ordinated by NFU Scotland and comes during a year when weather has prevented some farmers from getting cattle outside for the summer.
The union’s secretary in Kirkwall, Kenny Slater, said the winter barley straw had been donated by Gill & Co from Easter Ross and baled by contractors Brian and Caroline Matheson at Balicherry.
The straw will be auctioned off at Orkney Auction Mart on Monday with any surplus donated to rural charity RSABI.
Both the baling and haulage has been organised by the Orkney Business Ring.
“As is their nature, the farming community is rallying round,” said Mr Slater.
“The cost of getting this shipment to Orkney has underlined the huge impact transport costs will have on keeping the farming community running this autumn and winter. If Scottish Government wanted to make a difference to our plight, assistance with the high cost of haulage would help farmers to purchase the commodities they badly need.”
Earlier this week the Scottish Government donated £50,000 to RSABI to help weather-hit farmers.
The announcement was made by farm minister Richard Lochhead during a visit to the Lairg lamb sales on Tuesday.
He said as well as donating money to the charity, a working group had been set up with industry to look at other ways in which government could help in the coming weeks and months.
On Monday Mr Lochhead will attend a meeting with other agricultural ministers and industry leaders to discuss the current crisis in the farming sector.
The meeting, which has been organised by Defra secretary Liz Truss, is scheduled to last one hour.